Another Demon
by Anbu Warrior
Summary: A Demon container's past is always painful, and when two of them live in the same village things will never be the same. War, hate, bloodshed, and pain are the paths they walk. And little can be done but to follow.
1. Inner Darkness

1

AN: For those of you who hate OC's deal with it, if you don't like it don't read it. For those of you still here enjoy the story….

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto so please don't kill me!! (dodges kunai) hey watch it!!

(off scene) Sorry!!

**Another Demon**

_**Prologue**… "**It's your choice child, you could take me in and help me live, or you could stay here and die beneath the sand**." A voice whispered from the shadows._

_"I don't know it's so scary," a small voice sobbed "but if I die now all they did for me would have been in vain." _

_"**Yes, then the power that could be rightfully yours will be taken by your enemies." **The voice continued._

_"If I take this power then what will I become?" the child asked quietly._

_"**Nothing more or nothing less than yourself.**" The shadow answered._

_"Then I choose life if nothing else, I will live to see the next sunrise." The child whispered. A deep chuckle rang in her ears. _

_"**Excellent, lets get started."**_

_A small robed figure stood on the sand dunes far above the burning city. A gust of sand hid her from view for but a moment. When it cleared she was gone, and the city continued to burn beneath the twilight sky._

**Kohona Present Day…**

"Congratulations Inara, you are now a genin." Said a man with a scar across his nose giving the girl a pat on the head.

"Thank you Iruka sensei" answered the girl, as she inconspicuously tried to get out from beneath his hand "I'll try to do my best."

"I'm sure you will Inara, good luck." Said the scarred man happily. She smiled once more at her one time Academy instructor, and gave a short bow to the other tester Mizuki. She grabbed a black headband and returned to the waiting room. As she slid open the door she tapped the metal leaf symbol on her forehead.

"Piece of cake." She said smirking arrogantly. The other kids grumbled at her declaration. She went back to her seat and was about to fall asleep when she heard the boy next to her talk.

"You're too troublesome Inara." The boy drawled.

"I know Shikamaru," replied the girl "that's why you all love me." His only response was a sigh as he went back to sleep.

**West Side Kohona…**

She walked the streets quietly, watching the residents go about their lives. For a moment she stopped, watching a family go by. Something in her chest twinged.

_**Just** **don't think about it, keep walking, it will be okay.**_

_I know Kasaki; it just hurts sometimes…more that I'd like to admit._ She kept on moving giving no indication that she was having a conversation with her inner demon. She eventually spotted her apartment building. _Home sweet home _she thought bitterly.

**Next Day the Academy…**

She watched the show as the blonde headed idiot, better known as Naruto, screamed at the class heart throb.

_Naruto Uzamaki, the class clown prankster; he's a loud mouth who claims to be the future Hokage. He loves ramen, and can't even produce a simple clone. I wonder how he passed. _She turned her attention to the "heart throb".

_Sasuke Uchiha, wanted by every girl, yet he rejects every single one of them. Last of the Uchiha clan, he's now rookie of the year. He's a skilled ninja who already knows multiple fire jutsu's. Sasuke is pretty much a cool headed arrogant bastard, and damn, I think I'm in love._

She looked away hoping he hadn't seen her appraising him.She turned so fast that she accidentally bumped Naruto, who was crouching on top of Sasuke's desk. He was less than an inch from Sasuke's face when Inara's leg caught him in the chest, and sent him flying into the wall.

"Damn it Naruto, quit climbing around like a monkey!" she shouted.

Sasuke sighed; _Thank god for her quick reflexes._ Their attention was brought to the front of the room when Iruka sensei came in.

"Alright boys and girls you are all now ninja of Kohona, SO SETTLE DOWN!" he yelled. Silence gripped the room.

"Good, now for your squad assignments." He continued.

_Squads will only slow me down. (Sasuke)_

_I hope I'm with Sakura. (Naruto)_

_I'll be with Sasuke and shove it in Ino pigs' face. (Sakura)_

_Forehead girl will see that I'm the only one for Sasuke. (Ino)_

_Munch... chips…Munch… (Choji)_

_What a drag. (Shikamaru)_

_I want to be with Naruto. (Hinata)_

_Good god, don't the idiots realize that even the ANBU black Ops work in squads? (Inara) ( I labeled who said what for all the bakas who don't know the show very well)_

As these various thoughts floated through the room the teams were announced.

Inara blocked most names out until a certain one was mentioned.

"Squad seven will consist of Sasuke Uchiha…" Every girl that hadn't been placed waited with baited breath.

"Naruto Uzamaki…" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"… and Inara Ayanami, your squad will be lead by Kakashi Hatake" Inara remained passive. _I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse. _she thought.

"Squad eight: Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyugga, and Shino Aburame, you'll be lead by Kurenai Yuuhi."

"Since there's an acting squad nine on to ten, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Sakura Haruno, your leader is Asuma Sarutobi." Screams, groans, and demands of team changes were heard at the news. Immediately Sakura and Ino began ranting about how Inara was placed with "their Sasuke". Remaining quite calm, even though the fury was burning beneath her exterior, she gave a reply.

"Listen you harpies, Sasuke is his own person unless one of you two is dating him you have no right to call him "your Sasuke" so lay off. Even if he doesn't show it, he hates dealing with you fangirl types." For a moment everyone in the room was speechless, allowing them to hear Sasuke give quiet thanks.

"No problem, they were starting to annoy me." she mumbled. Leaving a deflated Sakura and Ino behind, squad seven left to the holding room to await their new sensei.

_Wait who did he say our squad leader was…_her eyes widened as she remembered…_Kakashi! Fan-fucking -tastic, this will be interesting to say the least. _

**Holding Room…**

_A skeletal child sat on the crowded dock quietly, her sandaled feet thumping gently against one of the support beams. Clutching a large claymore to her chest, her eyes fearfully watched the people coming and going. Finally at dusk a silver haired, mask wearing, teenager appeared in a swirl of leaves._

_"You the Ayanami? He asked. The small child nodded._

" _The Hokage's waiting for you." the teen stated. She stumbled in exhaustion as she go up and was caught by the teen. _

_"You haven't eaten or slept in awhile have you?" he asked her quietly._

_"Nope, don't need food, don't need water, don't need sleep." The child answered giggling. _

_"All humans need to eat." He said setting her back on her feet._

_For the first time she looked up, the hood of her robe slid back, revealing her insanity filled eyes._

_"Not human," she said grinning like a madman "not anymore." With one last giggle her eyes slid up into the back of her head, and she promptly passed out into his arms. He sighed as he picked the small child up bridal style._

_"Why do I always get the weird ones?"_

She tried to forget the memory, it was the first time she met Kakashi. His lateness coupled with the lack of food and sleep had driven her into a temporary spell of insanity. When she awakened a few days later in the hospital she apologized profusely for her actions, but Kakashi just smiled and forgave her. (Well she assumed he was smiling, she couldn't tell because of that danm mask.) That was the last time she had seen him, well until now at least.

The minutes turned into hours, as Naruto screamed about ramen, Inara balanced a kunai on her finger using chakra, and Sasuke brooded about…something. After two and a half hours of ramen related topics Naruto ran out of things to say. To relive his boredom he stuck an eraser in the space between the door and the frame. Finally after three hours of purgatory, Kakashi arrived. As he opened the door the eraser fell and Naruto yelled something along the lines of success or direct hit. Upon closer inspection he saw that the kunai that had been balancing on Inara's finger had pinned the eraser an inch above Kakashi's head.

She pushed herself up from desk and retrieved the kunai from the wall, as the eraser clattered harmlessly to the floor she said,

"You really shouldn't sell your self short Hatake."

He leaned down and said "That's Kakashi sensei to you Ayanami." She shrugged and went back to her seat. She turned to look back.

"I might consider it," she said grinning "If you were on time for once."

"My first impression, or second" he shot a look at Inara "Is that I hate you." The entire group face faulted into the ground.

_**Bastard still full of himself I see**._

He gave a smile and said "See you on the roof."

**Academy Roof…**

"Okay let's start with the introductions, first the orphan." Squad seven all opened their mouths to speak and looked at each other in disbelief.

"Oh, oops, I meant the mental one." Once again they all opened their mouths to speak, the whole group sweat dropped.

"Alright the Uchiha." Kakashi sighed. Sasuke was slightly annoyed about being the mental orphan as Kakashi so tactfully put it, never the less he continued.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha; I have few likes and many dislikes. My hobby is training. I don't have a dream because I think that they are just a waste of time. My goal, is to kill a certain man and resurrect my clan."

_Resurrect huh? If he was really serious about that, with his fan club he could have already populated half of Kohona. Wait…what? _Inara thought staring off into space as she contemplated this conundrum.

"Okay, now the annoying one." Both Naruto and Inara went to speak, and the group sweat dropped again.

"The blonde." Kakashi mumbled as he covered his face with hand.

"Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzamaki; I like ramen and dislike the three minutes it takes to cook. My dream is to be the greatest Hokage, and then everyone will have to respect me." Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs.

"And last but not least the kunoichi." Kakashi said giving his upside down U smile.

"I'm Inara Ayanami, I like spending time with my best friend, and I dislike ignorant people and orange book reading perverts who are always late. (a.k.a Kakashi) My hobbies include talking to my self, training, and reading scrolls." She said with a smile, the guys in the group double sweat dropped at the pervert and talking to my self part.

"Okaayyy…we have a survival test tomorrow that has a pass fail rate of 66. Arrive at sunrise to training ground seven, and don't eat unless you want to throw up." With this last piece of advice Kakashi waved, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Wait we never asked him to introduce himself…danm it all." Naruto grumbled. Inara just shrugged, no use crying over spilt milk. Especially when the milk had something to do with the copy-cat ninja. (If you got that stupid pun kudos to you)

**Training Ground Seven…Next Day…**

She stared into the pond below her; she had arrived on time which meant that she was early. Her reflection looked back up at her, she was sure hell wasn't normal, not by any standard. Her hair was pale silver, like Kakashi's, but more white than grey. It was held back by her headband so it wouldn't obstruct the view from her golden cat like eyes. Her face and body were slender, revealing well toned muscles. A black long sleeved shirt covered her upper half, and black cargo pants the lower. Hiding the demonic looking tattooing that covered her entire body.

Her shuriken and kunai holder strapped to her left leg. A long claymore was sheathed on her back, with the handle over her left shoulder. The sheath was crimson with designs in gold, separating into seven different vines, or tails depending on how you looked at it.

She felt her team mates approaching, arguing by the sounds of it. She disappeared from the pond, and reappeared at the training grounds. When they finally came into view, she smiled slightly and waved. Naruto ran up to her, when he arrived his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"That's one big ass sword Inara." He shouted slightly amazed.

"Not really, it may be larger than the average katana, but it's much smaller than a zanbatou Naruto" she explained.

"Inara, what's a zanbatou?" Naruto asked.

"Never mind." She said sweat dropping.

"Hn." Sasuke mumbled clearly uninterested in Naruto's stupidity.

"Where did you get a claymore? Their not exactly a Ninjas weapon of choice." Sasuke asked, as he turned to Inara.

Her eyes misted over "It came from my family, before they left me all alone." Naruto and Sasuke both decided not to pry, they had their own memories that they didn't want others to know.

"Well I'm guessing it's pretty light, giving the fact that you can carry it around like that Inara." said Naruto.

"Yeah, it doesn't weight that much actually for it's size, can't be more than three or four pounds." stated Inara as she drew the weapon out of it's sheath.

"Hey can I hold it Inara, PLEASE!!!" Naruto begged.

"Sure, just don't cut yourself, the blade is razor sharp." Inara handed the sword over to Naruto handle first.

"Awesome!" THUD. Inara wince as her precious blade hit the dirt.

"Hey, what's the big idea, Inara I thought you said this sword was light!!" complained Naruto, who was clearly having trouble lifting the blade from the dust. Sasuke walked up next to Naruto and said, "Did you even consider the fact that the sword is light, but your just too weak to lift it? Let me try." Naruto sulked as he haded the blade to Sasuke.

"Holy shit, Inara this sword isn't light" replied Sasuke as he nearly fell over. Inara took her sword back, and held it up with one hand.

"Well that's weird," she said as she threw it in the air and caught it with the opposite hand, "It's always been feather light to me." shrugging she rested the blade across her shoulders, which nearly resulted in her head being cut off when Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves.

"WHY THE HELL, DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP DOING THAT KAKASHI?!"Inara screamed as she rubbed the back of her now sore neck, "Jeeze I broke the skin.Grumbling she went over and pouted by a training log.

"Anyways... welcome to the test. To pass you have to get one of these two bells from me, you have until noon and if you fail you will be sent back to the academy for more training okay...go!" giving his trademark masked smile. In a puff of smoke the students vanished, leaving behind a lone blonde giving an awkward grin

**Training Ground Seven One Hour Later... **

Looking to her left she could see Sasuke up to is neck in dirt, looking a head that had been chopped off and left behind or something like that... And to her right a screaming Naruto was hanging from a trap looking like a demented blonde squirrel.

_WTF? _She thought keeping her self alert for Kakashi's inevitable arrival. With lightning fast reflexes, her sword batted away a handful of kunai.

"Is it time to play already Kakashi?" Inara smirked, drawing her claymore across the ground. She leapt away swinging her sword behind her cleaving a log in half, that had just moment before had been her sensei. The fight went on much like this, with Inara batting away at things that Kakashi had replaced himself with.

Near by she could her the clear ringing of the alarm, signaling the end of the test.

"Damn it!" she groaned, slumping to the ground in defeat.

"Better luck next time Inara" Kakashi said reading from his perverted novel.

"Seriously, how can you expect one little genin to... so that's what this is all about."

"Bingo"Kakashi chirped vanishing in a puff of smoke. The birds in the trees leapt to the air as a twelve year old's stream of curses filled the afternoon sky.

She returned to the training logs to find Naruto tied to the center log and Sasuke looking very annoyed sitting to the left. Suddenly Kakashi arrived in a swirl of leaves.

"Well I have one thing to say to you three." said Kakashi, who was clearly upset that they team had failed, "all of you can relax because I've decided not to send you back to the academy. "

"AWESOME WE ALL PASSED! WE'RE GOING TO BE NINJA!!" Screamed Naruto who was still tied to the log.

"Instead of more training your going to be dropped from the program permanently" remarked Kakashi calmly.

"WHAT! WHY?" All three genin were enraged.

"Face it," Kakashi continued, "none of you will ever become shinobi, because you can't think like one. You missed the whole point of this exercise. Sasuke you thought that you team mates were lower than you, and would only slow you down. Naruto you attacked alone the way your used to doing things, and Inara you just stood around waiting for me to attack. Not even bothering to help your team mates when they needed you the most. If all three of you had come at me at the same time you might have succeeded in getting at least one of the bells."

"Wait a minute sensei there are three of us and only two bells, either way one of us would have had to go without lunch, even if we had been able to get them"stated Inara in a matter of fact way.

"Exactly, I pinned you against one another to see who would put the team before themselves, because a team that thinks only of themselves is a dead one. Now I'll give you one last chance. Rest here and eat but don't give Naruto any, he brought this upon himself by trying to sneak lunch for himself during the test. I'll be back shortly, then the test will continue only it will be much more difficult than the first time." and with that Kakashi left the genin to their lunch.

Well that's the end of this Chap. I apologize for any cheesiness that you might have experienced. But since this is my first fan fic PLEASE R&R I need to know what you people think.

P.S. I'm really slow at updating so don't expect another chap. any time soon. Sorry (dodges shuriken) HEY I SAID I WAS SORRY JEEZE!!! I HAVE A LIFE TOO YOU KNOW!!! EVEN IT IS WEIRD AND TWISTED!! Did I just say that out loud?


	2. The Request

AN: Well I hope you all like the first chap. If you didn't, I'm sorry I'll try to do better.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto so no suing my butt!! HA HA (besides if I did all that characters would have a total meltdown due to the insanity of their creator) (laughs evilly) Well without further ado here's chapter two! (Hey that rhymed)

**The Request**

**Training Ground Seven . . . Same Day a Few Minutes** **Later . . . **

"Huh! Who does he think he is! I'll show 'em. I can go without food for days, weeks even!" screamed Naruto, "Ha ha I'll show him he can't win that ea-."... GGGRRRROOOOOWWWLLL!"Oh man this sucks"

"Here, now shut up and eat you baka." Inara shoved her food at Naruto to stop his infernal whining.

"Wha?... What're you doing? If Kakashi sensei catches you... oh jeeze, I can't even imagine what he'd do to you."

"Just shut up and eat, I'm only doing this to make you be quite. Besides I don't have much need for food anyway."

"Um Inara?"

"What now?!"

"I can't eat your food."

"WHY NOT DO I HAVE COOTIES OR SOMETHING!!"

"No it's just.. um.. I'm still tied up and...well... I can't move my arms."

"Oh hold still..."

"Wait a minute what're you?... AAAAAAHHHHHHH" Naruto started screaming bloody murder as soon as he saw Inara reach for her claymore._ SLASH_, the ropes fell to the earth along with some blond hairs.

"AAAAAHHHHHH SHE CUT OFF MY HEAD!!! I''M GONNA DIE!!! I'M GONNA... oh thanks!" Realizing that he was free, Naruto pounced on the food as if they were the only morsels left on earth.

The sky suddenly turned dark and dangerous. The three genin looked up to see their sensei running full speed directly at them.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING!!! I GAVE YOU VERY STRICT ORDERS NOT TO FEED HIM AND WHAT DO YOU DO? EXACTLY WHAT WHAT I HAVE PROHIBITED!!!" At this point all three young ninja were clutching each other in a death grip, Inara who was in the middle, was getting the very life squeezed out of her. She squirmed out of her teammates grasp to confront her enraged teacher.

"So what if we broke the rules." she said calmly even though she was trembling with fear, "We're supposed to be a team and teammates help each other. Just like you said with that little speech you gave a half-hour ago," she pointed at her sensei. "And as a team we are prepared for your punishment, what ever it may be. Right guys?" she asked looking over her shoulder. .

"Right! I'm with ya through thick and thin Inara!" agreed Naruto.

"She's right, we're a team and therefore we stick together no matter what the circumstances" said Sasuke as he pried Naruto off of him.

"ALRIGHT IF THAT'S YOUR DECISION!!! ANY LAST WORDS?!!" roared Kakashi making a series of complicated hand signs.

"None that I can say in front of you Kakashi" Inara blandly stated.

_OMG! I can't believe he's going to kill us! Kasaki help! What do I do?_

"**Relax little one, I do not sense a killing intention in him, even if he did try to kill you heh heh... you'd know what to do."** said the rumbling voice in her head.

_Oh man here it comes... _Inara prepared herself for the sharp pain of a complicated jutsuyo slam into her body. Breaking bones tearing flesh and eventually stealing the life from her body.

"You pass!" smiled Kakashi as the sky went from dark green to light blue.

"WHAT!!" screamed all three genin.

"I said you pass. Y-o-u p-a-s-s." The three young ninja face vaulted into the ground as little bunnies and butterflies started to hop and flutter behind their sensei as he gave them a thumbs up.

**You see hatchling, I told you he had no intention of killing you. **

_Shut up Kasaki!!_ **"Ooooo... someones crabby because the dragon demon was right again!! Me:3 Inara:0"** "GGGGGRRRRR!! COME OUT HERE AND SAY THAT YOU DEMON BASTARD!!!"

"Inara... you okay?" Sasuke was a little concerned that his teammate was yelling at thin air. ( Naruto was too scared to ask, so Sasuke did) "YES, I'M FINE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!! ...Huff puff"

Sasuke who valued his life, backed off as quickly as possible.

_Note to self, never make her mad or she'll start yelling at non-existent demons._ All three of the male ninja thought sweat dropping.

"Ookkaay... let's go home and leave the insane kunoichi to herself." whispered Kakashi.

"AGREED!" Naruto and Sasuke chimed in at the same time while running away to leave Inara screaming in to nothingness. Kakashi stopped suddenly, _That chakra, it's immense, but where could it be coming from?_ He turned to look back at Inara. He then noticed the blurred out- line of an enormous dragon standing right in front of him.

**Can I help you puny human?**

"So... big..."_THUD_.

Kakashi passed out from shock.

**_Not again._** Thoughtthe dragon.

**Kohona ...A Few Days Later... **

"Sensei, I'm in position. Target is in sight, requesting permission to attack."

"Excellent. Request denied, you have to wait for the others. We can't risk losing the target again because of your foolishness Inara"

"WHY YOU...!"

"Kakashi sensei, I'm in place can we go now?" Naruto's voice rang out over the walkie's speaker.

"No we have to wait for..."

"Me? I've been ready for the past half hour" droned Sasuke.

"Fine all units move in on target to verify identification..._only_ for identification got that Inara? Sasuke? Do not attack. I repeat _DO NOT ATTACK UNTIL WE'VE CONFIRMED_ _TARGET. UNDERSTOOD_?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever"

"I can't believe you would think we would attack without verification sensei."

"Our suspect has a red bow on one ear with the name Tiger on it. Can you verify loser?

"Yeah I can see 'em... hey who are you calling a loser Sasuke?

" ATTENTION ALL UNITS! GET YOU HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSESS AND ATTACK!!"

_Wow I can't believe Kakashi just swore at us!_ thought Inara as she swooped down on to the unsuspecting cat. (Yes, their target was a runaway cat.)

"I GOT HIM! OW HEY... STUPID CAT OUCH! THAT HURTS!" as soon a Naruto had seized the feline it started to attack him as if he was the last person it would ever see, by the end of the scuffle Naruto was bleeding from numerous scratches all over his face.

"Maybe next time you'll think twice before grabbing a cat by the tail baka"

"Alright Inara that's enough, is this the cat we're looking for?" Kakashi asked doubtfully.

"Orange male tabby with a red bow tied the left ear, answers to the name of Tiger? Yep, this is the one."sighed Sasuke, clearly bored with the whole mission.

"Can we please bring this stupid animal to headquarters before it totally kills me?!" complained the blonde ninja.

"Okay, okay, everyone just settle down, Inara since you have a certain talent with animals why don't you carry it back so Naruto can lick his wounds."

"Fine, dobe give me the cat"

"Gladly"

Naruto practically threw the poor creature at Inara who caught it easily. She immediately began stroking the cat in attempt to make it's fur lay back down.

**Mission Headquarters...**

"OOOHHH my little Tiger thank goodness your alright! You've been a very naughty kitty. Luckily for you these wonderful children and their teacher and brought you home safe and sound!" squealed an overly large woman squishing the cat in to her chest. "How can I ever thank you for bring my baby home safely?" she purred as she walked (well actually waddled) up to Kakashi and started fluttering her eyelashes playfully.

"You could... um... g- go pay the clerks...f- for doing our job" Kakashi was turning bright red.

"Awww... is that all? Are you sure you don't need anything else?"

"Y-yes, that's all"

"Oh... alright then" sighed the woman, looking somewhat disappointed. As she walked over to the desk she gave his butt a little pinch (Kakashi had stupidly let his guard down).The poor Jonin jumped so violently he nearly fell over as the woman giggled hysterically. His students, who had been watching this disturbing scene unfold, immediately ran into the adjoining room and vomited in unison.

"I don't blame that stupid cat for running away" stated Naruto as he wiped his mouth.

"Neither do I, did you see the way she treated that poor creature?"

"Your too soft Inara, we finished the mission and no one was hurt that's all that matters"remarked Sasuke who was looking off in to space yet again.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN "NO ONE GOT HURT" I ALMOST DIED!" Naruto was clearly angry...again.

"No one dies from a few cat scratches moron, your just over reacting"

"EASY FOR YOU TO SAY INARA! ALL ANIMALS LIKE YOU!"

"Because _she_ doesn't pick them up by their tails you dobe." Sasuke said as they headed back into the main room.

"Okay now let's see here...there are a few choices for your next mission. Someone just north of here needs a baby sitter, weeds need to be pulled, and the ambassador's dogs need to be walked. Any of these would be suitable for your squad Kaka-"began the Third Hokage.

"WHOA! WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! I'M SICK OF ALL THIS SERVANTS WORK! WE'RE NINJAS NOT SLAVES! WHEN DO WE GET TO FIGHT?! shouted a very unhappy Naruto, "I WANNA KICK SOME BUTT!! BRING ON THE BAD GUYS" he continued punching the air.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE HOKAGE'S ORDERS! YOU ARE NO WHERE NEAR STRONG ENOUGH TO BE GIVEN ANYTHING MORE DIFFICULT THAN A "D" RANKED MISSION! YOU MAY BE NINJA BUT YOU STILL A BUNCH OF WET-BEHIND- THE EARS-KIDS! YOUR ROOKIES! AND FURTHER MORE--!"

"Relax Iruka, I can see were the young-un is coming from,"sighed Sarutobi. "Alright since you've completed numerous mission already, I see no harm in assigning you something a little more challenging . Hhhhmmmm... ah here we are, you will be escorting this man back to his homeland. Show him in Iruka" The young chunin got up from the desk and opened the door. Behind it stood and older man, roughly in his early fifties, with a sake bottle in one hand. He leaned up against the door frame.

"So you're the people who are supposed to protect me? You nothing but a bunch of kids! You girl, are you really a kid or are you just a midget in disguise?" he laughed as he took another swig of the vile liquid. "aaahhh... it's so hard to find a good drink these days. What're you looking at blondy?" growled the man.

"GGGGRRRR!... HEY SAY THAT AGAIN OLD MAN AND I'LL BE FORCED TO TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES!!" exploded "blondy".

"Huh what could a little half pint like you do to me? And I'm not "old man" my names Tazuna. I'm a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. Which you are to return me to safe and sound. Got it shorty?" Tazuna drained the last of the sake with a disgusting belch.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORTY OLD MAN! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

" Wrong! Naruto you can't kill people you assigned to protect," said Kakashi as he quickly grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket to keep him from attacking Tazuna. "I'm terribly sorry about this Mr. Tazuna, as you can see he's got a big mouth and no brains."

"And who might you be? His father?" asked Tazuna nodding toward Naruto who was still kicking and cursing.

"No and thank the gods for that. I'm his teacher Kakashi Hatake, I'll be accompanying you on our journey." explained Kakashi.

"Oh I see. So the girl isn't yours either? You two certainly look a lot alike, are you related in any way? Cousins? Brother, sister?"

"LOOK YOU OLD GEEZER, JUST BECAUSE I LOOK LIKE THAT PERVERT," Inara pointed in Kakashi's direction, "DOESN'T MEAN I'M RELATED TO HIM! GOT IT!" she screamed as she held a kunai to his throat.

"INARA DROP YOU WEAPON, HE DIDN'T KNOW! Sasuke said, immediately running up to stop Inara from cutting the old man's jugular.

"GGGGGRRRRR! PUT ME DOWN SASUKE!"

"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU PUT DOWN YOUR KUNAI!" shouted her teammate as he struggled to keep hold of her.

_Damn! She's stronger than she looks!_ He thought.

"Inara put the knife away, Sasuke let go of Inara, and Naruto quit trying to kill Tazuna." sighed Kakashi sweat dropping. He shot Sasuke a odd look who immediately released the screaming kunoichi.

"What? I had to do something or she would have killed him" replied the black-haired ninja innocently.

"But picking her up?"

" IT WAS THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF!"

"You like her don't you."

"NO! HOW COULD YOU EXPECT ME TO LIKE SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE THAT!!" he pointed a Inara.

"Okay... whatever you say Uchiha." teased the Jonin.

The next sound they heard was the popping of Inara's knuckles as she gripped the handle of her sword.

_Something... that... looks... like... that? _She thought enraged, _I'LL KILL HIM!!!_

**"NO HATCHLING!! He's the last of his kind, you can't kill him." **

_WANNA BET!!!!_

**"Okay let me rephrase that, it's no use spilling the blood of others**, **even if they aren't all that innocent."**

_"No but it will be fun!!!"_

By now Inara had fully unsheathed her claymore, and was about to strike when all of a sudden Sasuke turned around and looked directly at her. It seemed as if he was trying to apologize but he wasn't able to put it into words.

All of Inara's anger and hatred suddenly vanished as quickly as it had come. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she kill this bastard that had insulted her? Something warm was spreading through her heart, into her stomach, her whole body was now completely overcome by the unusual feeling. What was it? She had never felt this way before. Maybe she was sick, but she didn't feel ill.

"Inara... INARA?!!" Sasuke's voice penetrated her train of thought.

"Huh! What?"

"I asked if you were alright. Why is did you draw your sword?" he asked.

"Oh, um, no reason" she replied sheathing the deadly weapon.

**"Liar"**

_Shut up! This is going to be a long mission._

YEAH FOR CHAP. 2!!! Oh and in case some of you didn't get that last part Inara is starting to have a little bit of a crush on Sasuke. But she doesn't do a very good job of showing it any way PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I CAN IMPROVE ON!! IT'S HARD WORKING WITH NOTHING TO GO ON!!!! ANY IDEAS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN NEXT WILL GREATLY BE APPRECIATED!!!!

Knock knock

"Huh? Come in? Oh hi Sasuke what're you doing here?

"YOUR CRAZY!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!!! I'M NOT HEARTLESS ANYMORE!! I ACTUALLY HAVE FEELINGS?!! WHY!!!

(pins me to wall by throat)

"but... but it's cute"

"CUTE? I'LL GIVE YOU CUTE!!"(Pulls out a kunai)

"WAIT!! BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE ERASER!!!" (Erases Sasuke's hand)

"AAAAAHHHHH" (runs away with me following trying to erase the rest of him)

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!!" (author stops)

"Will Sasuke survive the power of the eraser? Find out in the next chapter. MWAHAHAHA

(starts chasing Sasuke again) "COME BACK HERE YOU COWARD AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!!"


	3. Lost Secrets

AN: hey sorry I took so long with this chapter my teachers have been packing on the homework because of midterms. (I hate school, I hate it with a deadly passion) oh sorry that was the evil side of my brain talking. (She doesn't get out much) Evil Side: I heard that! Oh and sorry again for the whole chapter mix-up I'm still new at this.

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Naruto, but Inara is mine.

**Lost Secrets**

_She stood on the sand dune watching her home, her family and friends burn beneath a twilight sky. The smell of burnt flesh was overpowering, choking her. Suddenly she felt strong hands grip her shoulders._

_ "Don't worry my daughter, I will hunt down the people who did this to us and annihilate them."_

_She turned and hugged her father, just wanting to forget everything, to just let the wind and smoke lift her pain and suffering away. Her father gently pushed her away from him. The young girl looked up in to her fathers golden eyes; they were just like hers, yet so different. His were cold and somehow warm, his power could be easily determined through them._

_ "Here take these," he handed her a scroll and a slip of paper._

_ "Father, what's this?" _

_ "The scroll contains all the jutsus that I know, use them well and don't let anyone find it." he warned her. She inspected the slip of paper carefully, turning it over and over in her small shaking hands._

_ "And this?" she questioned holding it up._

_ "A ferry ticket to the Land of Fire, there's a city there, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I want you to train there and become a ninja; get stronger in mind, body and spirit. It's a good place, they'll accept you." he reassured her. "Their Hokage has a certain... soft spot for children who have been orphaned." _

"_But I wanna stay with you," she cried as tears began to flow freely down her face._

"_I'm sorry Inara, but you aren't strong enough_ _yet and I want you out of harms way. Tell you what... how about you gather information on the people that live there, to be more specific, people like you, people with special abilities."_

_She couldn't believe what was happening! The only family she had left was sending her away, away to some foreign land that she had never even heard of. He was abandoning her!_

_ "Hey, hey now, I know what your thinking. No, I'm not leaving you forever. Just think of it as... a business trip. You'll see me again. It may be a few years, but I'll keep in touch." he said as he put his hand of her shoulder. _

_A sudden pain ripped though the girls head, tearing at her brain. She hit the ground writhing in agony, screaming in out in anguish. Her father made no move to comfort his daughter, he knew what this was. The demon within the small child was trying to take control. _

_ "Inara, stop your screaming and listen to me!" he hissed, "That demon I sent you is trying to take over, force him back! Show him who's in charge of your body!"_

_Inara's eyes clamped shut, concentrating, the pain began to fade, then it was gone altogether._

_** "Excellent, you learn fast for a hatchling."** a voice inside her head growled._

_ "Father, what was that?" _

_ "That was the demon trying to take over your body. He warned me he would try something like that."_

_ "W-what do you mean? You sent him to me?! But why?" she asked shaking uncontrollably. _

_ "Have you forgotten already? My dear child, today is your birthday. Consider Kasaki a gift, from a father to his daughter. You may not like him now, but he'll grow on you. It's part of your agreement. I didn't spend the last eight years trying to find him just so he could destroy you." her father chuckled._

_ "D-destroy me?!" Inara stuttered. What was going on?_

_ "Yes, I don't know if he's told you yet, but he's a bit famous in the demon realm." _

_ "Famous? How so?"_

_ "Well, let's just say he's killed about five-hundred others of his kind. Until he got too big for his scales and tried to attack the nine tailed demon fox about a hundred years ago. That's why he needs you. He's weak and needs to get strong, like you."_

_** "I was going to tell you, but it looks like he beat me to the punch"** laughed Kasaki._

_So you're an evil demon? Inara thought._

_** "No, I'm a former evil demon"**_

_Former? How can you be a former evil demon?_

**_ "Well, it guess it's time for a little history lesson. After I was injured by Kyuubi, I thought about everything I'd done. I realized that I never killed because I enjoyed it, but because I was scared. I'm only 1,200 years old."_**

_Only?_

_**"That's considered young by our standards human."**_ _he sneered._

_ "Inara!?" Her father's voice rang in her ears as her conversation was interrupted._

_ "Yes father?" she looked up hopefully, maybe he had changed he mind and would let her accompany him._

_ "Remember the plan gather information, train to become a Shinobi, and most importantly take care of Kasaki, do you understand?"_

_ "I understand father." Inara mumbled hanging her head._

_" Your ferry leaves in three days, it's a two and a half day walk across the desert; I suggest you get started." He gently shoved her in the direction of the barren wasteland. _

_ "I see... goodbye father" she never looked back, just ran forward into the unknown. Were would this path bring her? One door had closed and another had opened. What would be on the other side? Only fate could tell._

**Forrest of Kohona...**

"Hey Inara you coming back to earth anything soon?" Naruto's hand suddenly broke Inara's dream.

" Hellooo? Inara? Erk..."

"Naruto if you ever want to see that light of day again you'll leave me alone right now." Inara's grip on Naruto' throat tightened.

"O...k...a...y" he managed to choke out. Inara immediately dropped him.

"Jeeze I just wanted to tell you that Kakashi sensei said that is was time to go." Naruto complained rubbing his throat.

"Oh... okay thanks" she sighed.

_Man, what's her problem?_ He sulked.

"Hey psychopath, get up here were I can keep an eye on you" grumbled Tazuna.

"GGGRRR, I'M GONNA KILL YOU OLD MAN!" Naruto shouted as he reached for a kunai.

"I said no you little pain in the ass" stated Kakashi grabbing him by his jacket.

Inara walked along silently, thinking about the last time she had seen her father. It was the day of her eighth birthday when her family was stolen from her. Her father not being a member of the clan, had escaped being destroyed but it didn't matter any way. He had left her, sent her off to live with people she didn't even knew existed. She didn't care. As far a she was concerned she was alone in this big world. Her father had broken his promise and failed to keep in touch as he had said he would. To her he was no longer alive, but buried beneath the ashes of her memory just like all the others that she had been close to.

She stopped and looked at a puddle on the ground; her reflection stared back at her.

_That's weird... why would there be a puddle on the ground... if it hasn't rained in days?_ She thought dipping her sandal in to the liquid.

_Hm. Feels like water, looks like water, but something's telling me this isn't what I think it is._ She walked on feeling the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. Something just wasn't right. Kakashi took notice of her sudden strange behavior.

"Something troubling you Inara?" he asked in his usual monotone.

"Call me crazy, but I think there's something or _someone_ watching us."

"Well you can relax, on this type of mission we won't run into any foreign Shinobi." he smiled.

Suddenly out of now where, two chain blades wrapped around Kakashi pinning his arms to his sides.

" WHAT THE...?" he didn't get a chance to finish before the chains tightened, sending Kakashi's blood everywhere.

"SENSEI!" Inara screamed. Naruto and Sasuke spun around to see what all the commotion was about. Then just as before, the chain blades shot out of no where, but this time Inara saw where they had come from. She jumped in the air to avoid the death trap. Two ninja emerged from what was left of the puddle team seven had just passed.

The chain blades shot out again this time at a new target.

"NARUTO MOVE!" she was too late. The chains were just about to wrap around her teammate, when a blue flash caught her eye.

"INARA PROTECT TAZUNA" it was Sasuke, taking charge of the fight.

Before she could object, Sasuke pulled out two shuriken and pinned the chain blades to a near by tree. Thinking fast he threw two kunai to keep the chains from coming lose. The two foreign ninja were in shock. They tried to pull their weapons free from the tree trunk; it was no use the shuriken held fast.

Sasuke shot up into the air and landed on the ninja's arms, each had a metal clasp that stored each ninja's chain blade. _SNAP._ Metal groaned as Sasuke thrust out his legs causing the chains to break from their clasps. The two ninja, now free quickly separated, one ran straight for Tazuna and the other dashed towards Naruto a few feet away. Inara froze; she didn't know what to do. Should she try to save Naruto or protect the bridge builder? Her mind was fighting its self and precious seconds were being wasted.

** "Hatchling what are you doing? The mission is at risk! MOVE!"**

Not giving it another thought, Inara ran to head off the Shinobi that was headed for Tazuna. Naruto would have to fend for himself.

"STAND BACK MR. TAZUNA!" she leapt in front of the bridge builder just as the rouge Shinobi reached for him. Bracing herself for the punishing blow, she gasped at what she saw in front of her. It was Sasuke, trying to protect her! The enemy ninja was less than a foot from Sasuke's face when an arm shot out and clothes lined not one, but both Shinobi!

The two genin's eyes widened, there standing right in front of them was their sensei! The one that they had just seen ripped to shreds a few moments before!

"What?... sensei... you're... you're alive?" Inara was stunned, "but... but I saw you! _We_ saw you! You were ripped to pieces!"

"Not quite Inara, he used a substitution jutsu, look" said Sasuke pointing .Sure enough, exactly where Kakashi had been "killed", lay some neatly cut logs.

_Well I'll be...I don't believe it!_ _Those runts actually saved my life! _Thought the old bridge builder, the color returning to his face. Kakashi walked over to inspect Naruto.

"I'm sorry Naruto," he said, "I should have jumped in sooner before you were injured, but it never occurred to me that you would freeze up like that." he turned to face Sasuke and Inara.

"Good job you two, I couldn't have done it better myself." Kakashi praised, "Oh and Inara, it was an excellent choice to protect Tazuna. Sometimes the mission is more important that teammates, but not all the time. Had the circumstances been different, you would have sacrificed one of your own friends."

_Oh my god he's right! If he hadn't stepped in Naruto would have been...ugh what have I done!_

** "You've done nothing wrong hatchling, I'm proud of you."**

_But Naruto could have died! And it would have been my fault! It would have been no better than if I killed him myself! _She sobbed.

** "Ahh little one,"** sighed the demon,** "you've much to learn and so little time to do so. But let me assure you, everything happens for a reason. Do you understand?"**

_I-I think so._

** "That's a good girl; now I'm going to sleep for awhile so don't do anything stupid."**

Blood suddenly spattered on to Inara's face.

"WHAT THE HELL? NARUTO WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she spazed. While she had been talking to Kasaki, Naruto had drawn a kunai and stabbed himself in the hand sending his blood everywhere.

"Why am I so different!" he yelled still clutching the kunai, "I hate not fitting in!! I swear no one's ever gonna have to save my life again! I'm not going to be the one who stands there and does nothing! I swear it by the pain in my hand. With this kunai I promise... I will protect the old man!"

Kakashi quite stunned at this display, ruffled Naruto's yellow hair.

"You know Naruto; I know that you want to do your best but, slicing open your hand so you bleed to death isn't the way to go. Now because of all the blood loss you might die" he smiled.

_ "_WHAT! NUH UH NO WAY I'M NOT GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS!"

_ "_Hold still baka and let me see." Kakashi took Naruto's hand and looked at it carefully.

_Amazing, the wound... it's almost healed. It must be the work of the nine tailed fox._ He pondered.

"You'll be fine just bandage it and let's be on our way."

Naruto almost fainted with relief. He was going to live.

"Mr.Tazuna," said Kakashi standing up, "I need to have a word with you."

**Tree house Deep in the Woods**

"What do you mean they failed the mission!" hollered a short man with a cane."You said they would get the job done!"

"I said that they _might_ get the job done. I didn't guarantee it." growled a low voice from the shadows.

"If that bridge is completed, my influence in the Land of Waves will be over! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU?!! Yelled the short man jumping up and down.

_Shing_ There was the sound of metal being drug across the wooden floor, the short man cringed as a huge sword was now at his throat.

"Heh heh heh relax Gato, the ninjas that took out my little assassins are stronger than I thought. However if you want something done right you have to do it yourself." chuckled the voice.

"I don't care if you have to hire fifty assassins! Just kill that old man Zabuza!"

**Land of Waves...**

The fog rolled in from the sea making it almost impossible to see even two inches in front of you nose. The waves made the small boat that team seven and the old bridge builder were sitting in rock violently. Trying their best to keep tempers down, the group sat in silence until Kakashi broke the death like trance.

"So the man who's after you, his name is Gato?" he asked.

"That's the one, he owns the biggest shipping transport around." answered Tazuna.

"But what would he want with a poor bridge builder?" probed Inara.

"Well you see, my latest project is building a bridge that will connect our small island with the main shore, bringing with it trade, tourists, and commerce. With out that bridge we're all poor, even our nobles, that's how Gato controls us."

"So if that bridge is finished, it'll mean that you can over throw him. That's why he's trying to kill you." Sasuke concluded.

"Exactly, now you know why I couldn't hire better protection, I have now money. So I lied to you. I understand if you no longer want to protect me. It's none of your concern whether I die or not. You won't be there when my daughter and ten year old grandson are crying over my dead body. And I'm sure you won't mind if my daughter swears eternal hatred towards your village. It's not your fault." laughed Tazuna.

"Our mission was to protect you Mr.Tazuna and protect you we shall." said Inara.

"Well if that's what you want then alright"

The boat landed on the shore of a small island with a small thud.

"This is as far as I go, good luck to you five" The boatman turned and headed back out to sea.

_This is it I can prove to everyone that I'm not a chicken._ Pondered Naruto looking around rapidly.

"HEY WHAT'S THAT!" he shouted, throwing a kunai into the bushes. Seconds ticked by, no one moved. Inara sighed.

"Naruto those are kunai knives, their a wee bit dangerous. I would appreciate it if you didn't treat them like toys." Kakashi said, sweat dropping.

"But I swear there was something there!"

He ran towards the bushes, where he has thrown the kunai, Inara followed out of curiosity. Naruto pulled back the bushes to reveal a terror stricken white rabbit.

"NARUTO LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU KILLED AN INNOCENT RABBIT!"

"Ah oh no please wake up bunny I didn't mean it" carefully picking up the rabbit Naruto began trying to wake it up.

_That's weird it's the middle of summer but that rabbit is white. It must be someone's pet._ Inara tilted her head observing the unconscious mammal.

"Sensei?" she asked

"Yes Inara, what is it?"

"Well I noticed that that's a snow rabbit."

"Very good, I see you've been studying your wildlife pamphlet."

"Well, it's the middle of summer and snow rabbits are supposed to be brown at this time of year, this ones white." she stated.

"Well observed Inara, I noticed that too. It must be someone's pet that got loose."

"But..."

"Is something bothering you?" Kakashi asked cocking his head.

"I got that funny feeling again... like we're being watched."

"I've sensed it too but I don't know where it's coming from."

They walked on keeping their guard up; everything was quiet, too quiet, like the calm before a storm. Inara stopped and looked down, listening carefully she could just make out a whistling sound. It was coming from behind them and was getting louder. Her head snapped up realizing what it was.

"EVERYBODY DUCK!!" she yelled suddenly hitting the ground.

"A duck! Where?" Naruto began to look for the "duck".

Inara jumped up from her stomach and tackled Naruto to the dirt just as a very large zanbatou imbedded it's self in to a tree. A large man suddenly materialized on the handle of the sword.

"Well well well if it isn't Zabuza Momochi" droned Kakashi.

"You've heard of me I see, Kakashi Hatake." growled Zabuza.

Naruto drew a kunai and started to run towards the shirtless man. Inara immediately grabbed him by the hair.

"You baka do you want to get killed! Don't you know who that is? He's Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Bloody Mist; the master of the silent kill. He can annihilate you eight different ways before your corpse even hits the ground!"

"You've done your homework I see." said Zabuza dislodging his sword from the tree.

"Alright you three, stand back I don't want you getting in my way." Kakashi stepped forward towards Zabuza, "If I'm going to fight you I'm going to need this." he pulled up his dead band to reveal a scared red eye with three tomes.

"Using the sharingan so early Kakashi? You're no fun." Zabuza drew hit sword across the ground leaving a deep scar in the earth. Inara drew her sword as well and took a defensive stance in front of Tazuna.

"Nice sword kid. I'll be sure to take good care of it when I take it off your dead body." laughed the rogue Shinobi.

Inara remained passive; she wasn't sacred of the man who claimed to be the demon of the mist. Why should she be, when she was the real thing?

"Watch what you say or I'll have to cut your tongue out to teach you a lesson in manners." murmured Inara.

"Why you arrogant little bitch, I'll teach you to respect you betters." Zabuza charged towards Inara sword drawn, but before he could reach her Kakashi jumped in front of him.

"Leave the girl alone, this is between you and me Zabuza." Kakashi glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Fine, I'll make short work of you_ then_ I'll kill the kid."

"Over my dead body."

Zabuza vanished into thin air only to reappear on the surface of the lake a few yards away.

"**Kirigakure no Jutsu**" (Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu) A thick fog suddenly enveloped the area, covering everything with water droplets.

"Ah he's gone! Where'd he go?" yelled Naruto.

"Inara, Sasuke, Naruto protect Tazuna no matter what, understood?" Kakashi called over his shoulder._ He'll come for me first, and then if he succeeds he'll go for the bridge builder. Anyone fool enough to get in he way will be cleaved in two with that sword of his._ The white haired Jonin looked around trying to find his enemy.

"Heh heh heh," laughter filled the air surrounding team seven. "Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidneys, and heart. So many targets, which shall I choose?"

Sasuke stood stalk still with a petrified expression on his face.

_Ugh... this blood lust, if I move even a centimeter he'll kill me, I just know it! I can't stay like this! _Moving so slow so no one would detect his movement, he drew a kunai from its holder._ It would be easier if I-_

"SASUKE SNAP OUT OF IT!" Kakashi's voice rang clear as a bell despite the oppressing fog. "Even if he gets me I'll still protect you... I never let my teammates die, that I promise you."

"How touching, I think I'm going to be sick." A swift movement caught Kakshi's eye. It was Zabuza heading straight for his students! He leapt toward the genin, kunai drawn._ Shirk_, water ran down the kunai on to Kakashi's hand, the water clone vanished.

"SENSEI BEHIND YOU!" warned Naruto. _Slash_ Zabuza's sword tore through Kakashi's body, sending water in every direction.

_What! A water clone?! He was able to copy me even in this mist?_ Zabuza felt cold metal at his neck.

"Don't move, game over Zabuza, I win." Kakashi snarled dangerously.

"Ha, you think it's over? You just don't get it do you. Heh heh heh, you're going to have to do better than just copying me Kakashi." Laughed Zabuza.

Kakashi plunged his kunai in to Zabuza's neck, only to discover that it too was a water clone.

"I'm not that easy to beat." The real Zabuza appeared behind the Jonin, sword arcing in for the kill. Kakashi dodged the blow, but just barley. Instead of running Kakashi through as he had intended, Zabuza stuck his sword in the ground and kicked out, sending Kakashi hurtling through the air and in to the lake.

"Fool." Laughed the Demon of the Mist flying through some hand signs. "**Suiro no Jutsu**" (Water Prison Jutsu). The water around Kakashi suddenly took on a life of its own trapping him in a floating wet orb. Kakashi slammed his body into the side of the prison in effort to escape.

"Ha ha ha, it's no use, your trapped, my water prison jutsu is inescapable." Grinned Zabuza.

Kakashi felt cold terror grip his heart, not for himself but for his students, they were just kids; they couldn't die, not yet.

"All your running around just made my job harder, I'll finish off the brats and then come back for you. **Mizu Bushin** **no Jutsu**! (Water Clone Jutsu)

"BRING IT ON WE CAN TAKE YOU! RIGHT GUYS?!" shouted Naruto was itching to fight the shirtless so called demon.

"Ha you little imbeciles! Just because you look like a ninja doesn't mean anything! It's all about power! You need skills great enough to make it into my bingo-book. You know what we call "ninjas" like you? We call them cannon fodder."

The water clone rushed forward bashing Naruto in the face with its fist, knocking his head band free.

"NARUTO!" cried Inara, who rushed to her friend's aid.

"Heh heh heh heh little runt, he had it coming to him."

Naruto staggered to his feet. Glaring at the man who had hit him, he rushed forward only to get punched again.

"Hey loser, what do you think you're doing? Don't you have any brains in that thick skull of yours?" remarked Sasuke. He hated being shown up by Naruto like this.

Struggling to get up once again Naruto showed his teammate what he had been after; his headband gleamed in the sunlight.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to give up that easily." He gasped. "I've got a new page for you stupid book Zabuza. The guy who's going to be the next Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto tied his headband back on in defiance.

_Amazing! When I first set eyes on him I thought he was just a slacker! Now he means business._ Tazuna was stunned at the blonde genin's speech.

"Sasuke, Inara! I've got a plan!" Naruto said giving a foxy grin. "It's time to go wild!"

"Oh sure _now_ he's got a plan." Complained Sasuke, pulling out a fistful of shuriken.

"Of course Sasuke, because when the devil goes away, the demons get to play." Inara sneered, baring her teeth. She could feel her need for blood lust rising, and with a battle cry the genin charged the Demon of the Mist.

Yeah so that's chapter 3. Again I'm _so_ sorry this one took so long (Damn writers block) and the sentence Inara said about the demons coming out to play came from my psycho, Garra like friend who is completely obsessed with blood. I won't be doing anymore author/character stories because my insanity had come to an untimely death and to tell you the truth I want it back.

PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE!!! IF YOU HAVE EVEN A SHRED OF MERCY LEFT IN YOUR BLACK SOULS YOU WILL REVIEW!!!! (curls up in corner and cries)


	4. What Lies Within

Disclaimer: No I don't own Naruto. HA TAKE THAT LAWYERS!!!

AN: Hi it's me again. I would just like to start out by saying thanks to all the people who are still reading this, and an even bigger thank you to all the people who have reviewed and to my Gaara like friend who changed the summary of my story to something even better. Now on with the story!!

**What Lies Within**

**Land of Waves…**

The three genin charged at the Demon of the mist, letting out a fierce battle cry.

"Little brats, do you really think you stand a chance against me?" growled Zabuza. "Apparently you don't care whether you live or die! I however, had already dyed my hands with red with blood by the time I was your age."

The three young ninja stopped in their tracks, stunned.

"That's right, the ruthless slaughter eighteen years ago." said Inara, her eyes stone cold.

"I see my reputation has preceded me." chuckled the rouge Shinobi.

"S-slaughter? Inara what the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke stammered, what was she talking about and how did she know all this?

"Stupid boy, I'll explain it for you. Long ago in the Village of the Mist, also known as the Village of the Bloody Mist, the final step to become a ninja was to kill the entire graduating class. That means you were pinned against your friends and enemies; the very people that you grew up and train with. It was a killing spree among classmates." said Zabuza, his eyes dancing with laughter.

"That's disgusting!" shouted Naruto looking as if he was going to be sick.

"Then seventeen years ago, the elders changed the graduating ritual to be less of a massacre after a small boy not even qualified to become Shinobi butchered that year's crop of ninja single handedly. Ah yes, I used to have such fun then." The water clone glared at the genin for a split second, then dashed forward slamming them into the dirt. It raised its arm again ramming it into Sasuke's stomach, blood spattered out of the raven haired boy's mouth.

"SASUKE, NARUTO!" Inara screamed. She had to stop this; she couldn't let her friends die.

_ Kasaki, I'm sorry but I have to do it, I can't let them die like this. I have to take this basterd down once and for all!_

"**I understand child, just don't get yourself killed."**

_ I can't guarantee that._

"You hurt my friends Zabuza Momochi, now prepare to DIE!!" Inara growled a new voice intertwined with her own.

Snarling like a wildcat, Inara's skin turned from its normal tan to jet black scales, her tattoos pure white. Her teeth began to lengthen, getting longer and sharper with each passing second; nails that where once short where now long and deadly claws. Yellow eyes had turned to ice blue pools of immense hatred. She screamed out in agony as torn black wings erupted from her back along with white spikes that ran down her head and spine.

Naruto fell to his knees clutching his head; something within his mind was pushing to get out, to destroy the thing that was just moments before, his teammate.

_ Kasaki! That bastard! He's found a body I see!_ These words echoed in Naruto's mind.

The transformation was complete, everyone that laid eyes on her, could tell that the kuniochi was no longer human, for directly in front of them loomed a fully grown Jinchuuriki dragon.

Kakashi's eyes widened._ It…It can't be…Lord Hokage said she was stable enough to prevent this from happening!_ _What the hell is she… how could she be doing this?!_

Naruto and Sasuke were trembling out of pure terror. Was this really Inara? If it was… what happened to her?

"W-what are you? Who are you?!" Zabuza stammered. Inara's electric blue eyes flared dangerously.

"**I am Inasaki, murderer of both human and demon alike, commander of the elements. Your blood will stain this earth red for what you have done to my friends."**

Dark clouds started gather, lighting flashed across the sky.

**"Sasuke, Naruto, whatever you do don't let me see you. If you do, I'll have no choice but to kill you, for in this state of mind I can't tell who is my friend and who is my enemy." **The dragon growled.

Orange flames burst from the demons mouth, its intent; to reduce Zabuza to nothing more than a pile of smoking ashes. Zabuza dodged the attack.

"You missed, **Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!**"(Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu) A large water dragon bust out of the lake biting the black dragon's neck. Inasaki wrenched free of its grasp and flew up in to the air; the water dragon followed.

"That should keep you little demon friend busy for a while, now how should I annihilate you two?" Zabuza laughed.

"**Kage no Bunshin no Jutsu**!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) A dozen Narutos rushed forward and dog-piled on Zabuza; they flew backward as the Demon of the Mist heaved them off and disappeared with a poof of smoke leaving the real Naruto battered and bruised.

"SASUKE CATCH!" he yelled throwing a shuriken.

Sasuke grabbed the shuriken, rotating in a circle. With a flick of his wrist, he unfolded the deadly weapon.

"**Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!**" (Demon Wind Shuriken: Windmill of Shadows)

"Ha! Shuriken are useless against me!" warned the water clone.

Regardless of the warning Sasuke pitched the weapon at him anyway. Spinning rapidly, the shuriken avoided the water clone completely and headed towards the real Zabuza.

"So you were smart enough to aim for my real body. Not bad runt." Zabuza caught the shuriken easily as if it were a frisbee. "Heh heh but your still an amateur." He then noticed something that he didn't see before. _What? A second shuriken in the shadow of the first? But how?_

Zabuza jumped in the air to avoid the whirling blades of death. Sasuke smirked.

_POOF._ Naruto broke the illusion and threw a kunai in Zabuza's direction before falling in to the lake.

Not wanting to fall victim to such a clever attack, Zabuza let go of the water prison, freeing Kakashi.

"Little brats!" the Mist Demon brought his arm back to throw the shuriken that he had caught. _SPLAT._ As Zabuza whipped his arm forward, Kakashi blocked the shuriken from leaving the Bloody Mist Demon's hand.

"KAKASHI SENSEI!" Naruto was overjoyed at the fact the he had rescued his teacher.

"Naruto you plan was brilliant." The copy Nin complimented. "You've matured, you all have."

"Humph… so what. You sent me into a rage that made me lose control of my Jutsu, big deal." snorted Zabuza.

"No… you didn't lose control… you were force to let go of it or die." smirked Kakashi. "Just so you know the same Jutsu won't work on me twice!"

"Duly noted."

Blood hit the two elite Shinobi's faces. They looked up to see the water dragon that Inasaki was fighting, had latched itself by the mouth to the back of her neck and bit down hard. Critically wounded she began to fall from the sky. A flash of white light enveloped the heavens; when it cleared they could all see the small bent figure of the girl falling to her death.

_Shit! Kasaki what the hell happened?_

**"You've been hurt too badly to hold demon form, you've changed back!"**

_Damn it! I'm going to die! Ugh… Well I guess there's only one thing left to do!_

She quickly made a series of hand signs, roughly fifty feet from the ground she let the Jutsu fly.

"If I'm going down, your coming to hell with me you bastard!" she yelled at Zabuza, "**Futon: Daitoppa!**" (Wind Release: Great Break Through)

The Jutsu hit the Mist Demon hard, thrusting him against a tree. Kakahi took advantage of this and pinned him there will a few shuriken.

Inara smirked, she got him. Still falling through the air, Inara's body went limp and fell in to unconsciousness from the loss of blood.

Watching his teammate fall, Sasuke positioned himself ready to catch her to soften the landing. Her body hit his arms so hard he fell to the earth. "Crazy girl, you're going to get yourself killed one of these days." He sighed placing her unconscious form under a nearby tree.

"Damn you Kakashi! This isn't over yet!" shouted Zabuza, "When I'm through with you your going to wish that you had never been bor-!"

His words were cut short as two Senbon needles suddenly imbedded themselves in his neck. Zabuza's body hit the ground with a dull thud.

Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Tazuna's heads looked in the direction that the needles had come from. There standing on a tree limb stood a masked Shinobi.

"Well that takes care of him now doesn't it?" the voice obviously belonged to a young male.

The white haired Jonin carefully approached the body and checked it for a pulse, not feeling one he stood up and inspected the foreign ninja apprehensively.

"Thank you for the help. I hope you don't mind my interfering with your battle." said the boy.

"That mask… correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't that mask make you a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist?" asked Kakashi.

"That's right. I'm a member of the elite Undertaker Squad, and it's our responsibility and our art to hunt down and deal with rouges and outlaws."

Naruto looked from the corpse to the kid and back, not being able to understand how this puny little squirt not much older than himself, had taken down Zabuza so easily; when moments before they were all getting their asses kicked by him.

"ALL RIGHT JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? WHO ARE YOU! He yelled pointing a finger in the unknown boy's direction.

"Calm down Naruto he's not the enemy, he's a friend." Kakashi rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder to prevent him from getting out of hand.

"I DON'T CARE!!" Naruto ranted, "HE KILLED ZABUZA WHO'S NO PUSHOVER, AS IF IT WAS NOTHING! DO WE JUST SUCK OR SOMEHING? WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?"

"Ah Naruto, someday your going to have to except the fact that there are people in this world who are younger than you, but stronger than me." Kakashi sighed.

The masked teen jumped down from the tree limb and draped Zabuza's hulking body over his shoulder.

"Your battle is over and the remains must be taken care of, so that no one discovers our village's secrets." With a quick hand sign the teen vanished in a swirl of leaves.

_Uhn… my body…so sore…damn it. Wait a second, how the hell am I alive. I remember falling from the sky, then nothing. What the hell happened?_

**"You can thank the Uchiha for your survival. After you slipped in to unconsciousness he caught you before you hit the ground."**

_Hm. I thought he hated me…ugh no matter time to wake up._ Inara's eyes snapped open; turning her head she saw the squad gathered a short distance from her resting place.

"Look who decided to wake up from their nap? How're you feeling Inara?" Kakashi teased.

"Like I've been through hell and back, then hit by a tidal wave." She groaned rubbing her shoulder. Kakashi gave his signature upside down U smile and laughed.

"Well there's nothing more we can do now, lets get moving" Kakashi took a step forward but fell in to the dirt.

"SENSEI!" shouted all three genin.

"Damn it, I used up too much of my chakra." he wheezed, before passing out.

"Oh great now what do we do? We can't _possibly_ carry him." complained Naruto.

"_We_ might not be strong enough to lift him, but I know someone who can." Inara bit her thumb just hard enough to draw a little blood, flew through some hand signs, and placed her hands on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu"** (Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu) with a puff of smoke a large animal appeared. When the smoke cleared Naurto, Sasuke and Tazuna could see clearly what it was.

"Guys, meet Tenahei." Inara patted the buckskin horse's neck. "_He's _the one who'll carry Kakashi."

"That has got to be the weirdest horse I've ever seen." stated Naruto looking Tenahei over carefully, "What kind of horse has black tiger stripes?"

Tenahei glared at Naruto. "I was born with them dumbass."

"Holy hell it talks?!!!" Naruto face vaulted to the earth.

"That horse of yours carry two Inara?" asked Sasuke kicking Naruto's unconscious figure.

"I'm not carrying that little spaz" snorted Tenahei.

"Okay I'll take that as a no."

"It's alright, I'll carry him." said Inara easily lifting the blonde on to her shoulders.

"Well I guess it's a bad time to mention that I have no room for you guys at my place, however I can get you reservations at the local hotel." said Tazuna.

"I guess that would be alright; whatever works I guess. Stand still Tenahei!" Inara was trying desperately to drape her sensei's body over the horses back. Sasuke moved in to help her.

"Thanks, who knew Kakashi sensei would be so heavy?" she laughed.

"Uuuuhhhnnn..." groaned the passed out Naruto.

"EEEWWW… He better not drool on me." For the first time since she had known him, Sasuke actually smiled.

**Mizu no Kuni Hotel… room 562…**

The unconscious Jonin lay on a bed in a small dark room. His eyes snapped open sending Inara and Naruto flying backwards in surprise.

"I told you he was going to wake up soon." Sasuke droned from the other side of the room. Kakashi sat up with a groan.

"Hhhmmm… well that smarts. How long have I been out?" he asked cracking his neck to relieve some of the tension.

Inara got up from the floor. "About three hours. Give or take a few minutes."

"That long? Damn it… must of use more chakra then I thought." Kakashi looked down to find his wounds completely bandaged and half healed. He raised a eyebrow in suspicion. Who ever had done this knew what they had been doing. He tried to get up only to fall back on to the bed.

"Ugh damn it."

"Maybe you should stay there and rest a bit sensei." Inara suggested.

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver gravity defying hair and laid back down.

_Hm. So Zabuza is dead. If that's true…why do I have this nagging feeling? And why did that kid move his body? Elite tracker Nins never move a body that's to be disposed of. Unless…oh shit, this isn't good._

Kakashi bolted up from the bed and ran over to the window over looking the busy streets.

"Where exactly are we?" he questioned. "I don't remember passing out in a dark hotel room."

"Well after you fainted I had to summon an old friend of mine to help us get you here." Said Inara sitting down in one of the small wooden chairs that decorated the tiny room.

"Where exactly _is_ here?" Kakashi was begging to lose his temper.

"The Mizu no Kuni Hotel, the old man got us reservations. He said that a single person such as you would enjoy it here. We have yet to figure out what he meant." Sasuke sighed.

The door to the dark room suddenly flew back on its hinges to reveal a very angry staff member.

"WHAT ARE THESE CHILDREN DOING HERE?!" he exploded. "THIS HOTEL IS FOR ADULTS ONLY!"

"Relax sir their my students and why does this facility prohibit children?"

"It's hotel policy that no one under the age of eighteen may rent a room here."

"Well if that's the case we'll just leave." Said Kakashi moving away from the window.

"No no no that won't be necessary. I'm sure we can arrange something. Just let me call my manager." The employee ran in the direction of the nearest telephone.

"What the heck is up with that guy?" asked Naruto scratching his head.

"Beats me… maybe he's just paranoid." Naruto and Inara burst out laughing at her statement; Kakashi and Sasuke didn't find this as amusing.

The staff member returned a short time later panting for breath.

"It's … been… decided that… your students can stay here."

"Excellent how much is rent?" Kakashi smiled

"BUT on one condition."

"And what would that be." Sasuke vacated the chair he had been occupying.

"I'm afraid that you kids can't be in the same room as your sensei. I'm really sorry for this inconvenience but rules are rules."

"But where're we going to sleep?" Naruto asked Inara.

"You kids will be allowed to stay in the nearby Ice Room." Said the employee.

"Ice Room? Why do I not like the sound of that?" Inara stated.

**Somewhere Deep in the Woods...**

"Alright this should be far enough." said a bent figure as he unloaded his burden. "I'll start by removing these wrappings." Drawing a pair of small scissors the boy inched closer to the forms face.

The figure's arm shot up and snatched the scissors away.

"Enough, I'll do it myself." growled the voice.

"My my, awake already? You do recover fast Zabuza."

"Shut up, you have all the skills of a butcher." groaned Zabuza yanking the needles out of his neck.

"Master! Be careful if you pull one of those out wrong you really will die!"

"Quit your whining Haku and how many times do I have to tell you not to wear that mask around me?"

"Sorry old habits die hard." Haku removed the mask to unveiling a smooth god-like face. "I'm sorry I had to take you out with the pressure point in your neck, but they would have killed you if I hadn't stepped in!"

"But using the neck points? Anywhere else would have worked."

"And damage your flawless body? I don't think so." laughed Haku.

"Ah your so helpless... maybe that's why I keep you around."

"Well I am only a child. Zabuza will you be ready for them next time?"

Zabuza sat up growling in disgust, "_Next_ time I'll break the Sharingan spell and annihilate them all!"

"Whatever you say Master, what ever you say."

**Mizu no Kuni Hotel... **

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE?!!!" Naruto shouted."WE SAW HIM, WE SAW HIM DIE!!!"

"No we saw him pass out." explained Kakashi.

"But you checked for a pulse and everything how could he have survived?" Inara puzzled.

"Did you see the weapons the kid was using?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah Senbon needles, so what?" Sasuke cocked his head to one side, thinking.

"Well Senbon were first used for acupuncture therefore... Inara you okay?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the white haired genin as she curled up on the floor.

"Oh man... why does it have to be needles... I hate needles." she murmured rocking back and forth, her knees clamped to her chest.

"Okay? Moving on, Senbon aren't very deadly so that fact alone that the kid killed Zabuza with them is unlikely. However, Tracker Shinobi know an awful lot about human anatomy. If thrown just right, the needles can put one into a death like state that even stops one's heartbeat." continued the Jonin.

Inara got up from the floor now that the conversation about needles had come to a close.

"So assuming that Zabuza isn't dead, how do we prepare for his arrival?" she asked.

"That's simple" replied Kakashi, "we climb trees."

**Nearby Forrest...**

"Alright I you all know about chakra control I presume?" stated Kakashi.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with climbing trees?" questioned Sasuke.

"Well today your going to select a tree, then climb it without using your hands."

"WHAT HOW THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?!!" shouted Naruto.

"Ugh it's no use explaining so I'll just show you." Kakashi pushed some chakra to his feet and began to climb one of the trees. When he reached the top he jumped back down to rejoin his bewildered students.

"I'll leave the rest for you to figure out." With that he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

And that's the end of Chapter 4 gosh I can't believe it. Anyway I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating until about 2 weeks from now due to spring break. My parents are dragging me on a lame vacation so I won't be able to write. (WWWWAAAAAHHH) 'sniff' so I'm really sorry. Thanks for all the reviews you guys rock!!! And I'm not just saying that.


	5. The Demon Returns

AN: Yeah chap 5 is here!!!!!! Um... yeah. Thanks to all the people who are reading this story, you guys are the best!!! PLEASE KEEP REVEIWING! I answer them all. So any way beware of Sasuke Inara fluff in this chap.

Disclaimer: No I don't own Naruto. If I did I would die of happiness.

The Demon Returns

**Land of Waves Forrest...**

Inara skidded to a halt after falling from the tree for the ten millionth time.

_ Damn it why is this so hard! The boys are further up than I am._ She sat on the ground, her training bandages soaked with her own blood from the numerous scratches she had acquired.

_ Aw man... I have to change these acursed things again?_ The young kunoichi hugged her knees and covered her face to hide her shame.

_ What's wrong with me? Why can't I do this? _Hot tears began to fall from her eyes drenching her pant legs.

"Inara are you all right?"

She looked up to find Sasuke and Naruto standing over her with concerned faces, well Naruto's concerned face anyway, Sasuke just looked annoyed.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a little frustrated, that's all." hoping they hadn't noticed her crying, she resumed her training, this time with more doggedness.

Pushing more chakra to her feet she burst forward running full speed at the tree. She could feel herself growing more confident, she could do this, she would catch up to the guys.

** "Hatchling look a squirrel!"** Kasaki's voice broke her concentration sending her falling once again to the ground below.

_ Kasaki what the hell?! I almost had it!_

"**I'm sorry but you have to go kill that squirrel."**

_ What? Why? YOU INTERRUPTED MY TRAINING FOR A SQUIRREL?_

** "Yes. Because they are my mortal enemy with all their fluffy cuteness! Inara you must kill it for me PLEASE!"**

"NO I'M NOT GOING TO KILL THE SQUIRREL FOR YOU DAMN IT!!!"Inara yell aloud.

** "Please Inara I'm begging you!!"**

Inara got up from the cold earth, walked over to a nearby tree, and slammed her head into it, her teammates jaws dropped .

Fixing the rats nest excuse for hair the female ninja turned around.

"Sorry the voice in my head wouldn't shut up." she smiled

** "Ow what the hell hatchling?! The hurt!!"**

_ Then maybe you'll be quiet next time. What would you have done if it was a ten- tailed demon squirrel? _

** "Well then my scaly black ass would be in trouble."**

_ Exactly._

**Tree House Deep in the Forrest...**

Haku sat diligently beside his master's bed, carefully watching over him. Zabuza's still form lay in the bed breathing regularly from deep sleep. Suddenly the door to the small room burst open. There in the doorway stood Gato with two of his thugs, who were armed with once sword apiece. Haku looked up.

"Ha I'm surprised that you would even bothered to come back after the beating you took." said Gato. "I guess your reputation is overrated. Demon of the Mist, ha that's a laugh. More like Kitten of the Mist." Gato's thugs stepped forward hands on their sword handles.

"So you've got nothing to say for yourself?" Gato reached for Zabuza's neck but Haku grabbed his arm. Bones could be heard snapping, breaking.

"Touch him... and I'll kill you." Haku murmured.

"Why you little brat!" with a jerk of his head Gato signaled his henchmen to finish off the boy.

With movements that no eye could track, Haku appeared by the assassin's sides with their own swords pointed at their necks.

"It would be your best interest not to make me angry." growled Haku.

_ I-impossible! I didn't even see him move! What kind of monster is he?_ All the color left Gato's face. "T-there had b-better not be any more mistakes" Turning on his heel, Gato and his thugs left the room.

Zabuza sat up in his bed. "Haku... there was not reason for you to.."

"I know but it's too soon to finish him off. If we draw to much attention to ourselves _they _might come looking for us. So for now let's be patient." the young boy smiled.

**Team Seven Temporary Training Area... Sunset...**

"Come on Inara it's not that hard!" Naruto teased from the top of a tree.

"Yeah come on, if dobe over here can make it, this should be a piece of cake for you!" Sasuke shouted.

"Yeah if dobe can... HEY!!!"

"Watch it loser you're going to break the branch!" Sasuke easily dodged Naruto's pathetic attempts to strangle him.

"Both of you knock it off before I knock you off!" Inara yelled a few boughs below.

Naruto paused in his attempts to kill his teammate. "Yeah right you can't even get up..."

Inara jumped up landing right next to the blonde.

"Here... gulp... heh heh heh"

"Your lucky I'm in a good mood Naruto or else I would- hey look at that sunset!"

She sat down on the branch and gazed at the horizon. The sun was half way through setting, all the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks blended in to one, changing Inara's hair to match. Inara moved a little closer to the edge of the tree drawing in a deep breath.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah... it is." Sasuke turned to look at her. Inara felt her heart beat faster and her palms start to sweat a little.

"Wow cool!" Naruto yelled breaking the trance. Inara, who had moved even closer to the edge of the tree limb, jumped causing her to fall from the branch.

Narrowly missing the other mighty boughs of the tree Inara felt something grasp her wrist.

"Uhn.. Hurry up and grab my hand...I don't know how much longer I can hold you!"

The kunoichi opened her eyes and looked at her rescuer. She was taken aback at what she saw, there was Sasuke struggling to hang on to her.

"Grab my hand.." he extended his arm so she could reach it. "Hurry up... your... heavier... than ...you look." he grunted. She took his hand in a death grip not wanting to fall to her death. Sasuke had to use all his strength to heave her up beside him. They lay there panting for breath for a few moments.

"T-thanks Sasuke." Inara stammered, still shaking from the scare she had received.

"Don't mention it...ever." The raven hair shinobi got up, leaving Inara staring in the direction that he had left. How could he be so cold? He just saved her life for the third time and he acted as if it were nothing. Is that what he thought of her as? Nothing? Inara glanced down at her sandals, she was determined to warm that cold heart of his.

"Oh my god Inara I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" Naruto had arrived.

"No...I'm fine..." she panted.

"Good thing Sasuke was there to catch you huh?"

"Yeah... a good thing indeed." Inara got up and was about leave, when she turned and looked over her shoulder. Naruto was looking off in the distance with a sad look on his face. Inara put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey is something wrong? This isn't the blonde hyperactive nutcase that I know."

Naruto looked up at her, then back down. "You love him don't you?"

"What? Who?"

"Don't play stupid... that's my job." A smile flickered across the male ninja's face.

"Naruto I don't know what your talking about." he ripped Inara's hand off of his shoulder and stood up.

"SASUKE! YOU LOVE HIM DON'T YOU?! ADMIT IT! EVEN SOME ONE AS CLUELESS AS ME CAN TELL YOUR HEAD OVER HEELS FOR HIM!" tears started to well up in the blonde's eyes.

"Naruto I..."

"I'm not done yet... when I see you with him I... I don't know. It's like ever fiber of my being is screaming at me to separate you two. I don't know what it is but... something is telling me that Sasuke hasn't told us everything. Inara I... I just don't want to see you get hurt." the tears that Naruto had been trying to hold back were now falling down his face. The silver haired kunoichi hugged the blonde to try and comfort him.

"I appreciate your concern Naruto…" she began. "But I can take care of myself. And to answer you question, no I don't think he and I will ever be together. As far as I know... and I know a lot... he hates me with all he's worth." She left Naruto to think about what she had said.

"Humph… stupid girl." The blonde shinobi went back to his training.

**Mizu no Kuni Hotel Room 562…Next Day…**

Inara woke with a start sitting bolt upright on the floor on her side the closet (this was the only place there was a heating vent) She looked over to the boy's side and saw Sasuke sleeping peacefully, but Naruto was missing.

_Maybe he went down to get breakfast already _She thought. Cracking her back to get rid of some of the stiffness of sleeping on a floor, she went down to the breakfast hall.

Kakashi sat at a table reading the most recent newspaper he could find. In front of him sat his half eaten breakfast of french toast, bacon and eggs; Inara sat down across from him.

"Sensei did Naruto come by at all earlier today?" she asked as a waitress took her order.

"Sorry Inara I haven't. Why?"

"Oh no reason, when I woke up he wasn't in the room so I thought he might have come down here."

"Well I haven't seen him. Not this morning anyway. If I were you I would ask Sasuke, he might know."

Inara started to eat her breakfast of pancakes and sausage, washing it down with some ice cold orange juice. After finishing she grabbed a couple of muffins to bring back up to Sasuke who hadn't shown up for the morning meal. Inara returned to the room to find Sasuke still sleeping in the closet.

_ Gosh and I thought I was lazy_.Placing the muffins on the night table, she walked in to the closet.

"Sasuke... Sasuke" she whispered, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Mmmmm... go away Inara let me sleep." he moaned.

"No, this is important." Sasuke sat up glaring at her for interrupting his sleep.

"Fine what is it and it had better be good."

"Have you seen Naruto? He wasn't here when I woke up and Kakashi sensei said that he didn't come down for breakfast. Do you know where he is?"

"Ugh how should I know I'm not his babysitter. Come to think of it I don't think he came back in to the room last night either."said Sasuke rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"This is bad. What if something happened to him?" Inara started to panic.

"Why are you so worried about him anyway? I'm sure he just fell asleep in the woods or something."

"You might not care about him but I do! He's my friend and if anything bad ever happened to him I would never forgive myself."

"Why? It's not your fault."

"Actually it just might be. Sorry Sasuke I have to go look for him." Inara ran out of the closet and into the freezing room, Sasuke followed.

"Hey where do you get food in this crazy place?" he asked.

Inara glared at him.If lookes could kill, the raven haired boy would have been dead ten thousand times over. How could he think of food at a time like this!

"I left some of your favorite muffins on the night stand for you since you didn't come down to eat either." With that Inara left the room in search for her teammate.

Sasuke picked up one of the muffins and took a bite, his eyes widened. How had she known that blueberry was his favorite?

**Team Seven Temporary Training Area...**

Naruto lay asleep on the dew wet grass snoring peacefully. He opened one eye to investigate his surroundings.

_ Uh what happened? Oh yeah I was out training so late that I fell asleep._

A girl about three years older than him stepped out of the nearby bushes.

"Oh I'm sorry did I wake you?" she asked smiling.

"Um no... who are you?"

"Nobody of any real importance. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"I'm training."

"Really. That headband? Are you some sort of ninja?"

"Yep I'm the best there is. Believe it!"

"Ha ha ha... so what are you training for?" she laughed.

"I'm trying to build up my strength."

"Oh? But you look so strong already." the girl complemented.

"Nope ,wrong I have to get even stronger."

"You know," the girl started, " when someone has something that they love and want to protect, that's when they become genuinely strong."

Naruto thought of his old sensei Iruka and how he had risked his life to save him. He thought of his teammates and Kakashi and how much they cared about him. If the blonde ninja ever wanted anything, it was to protect the people that cared about him... his friends.

"You _will_ get stronger and when that time comes we will meet again. Oh and you should know... I'm a boy."

Naruto shook his head.

"Wait a minute what?" but before he could ask again the "boy" vanished.

Inara ran through the forest searching for her lost teammate, Kakashi and Sasuke had joined her.

"Naruto!!! Where are you?!!" she hollered.

"Maybe we should split up, we'll find him twice as fast that way." Kakashi suggested.

"Good idea I'll that way and Inara can go.." Sasuke's words where cut off by the sound of someone shouting.

"HEY GUYS! I'M UP HERE!" The two genin and their sensei looked up, there on the highest branch of the tallest tree was Naruto smiling down at them.

"You idiot! How'd you get all the way up there?!" Inara yelled.

" I climbed of course! Duh!" the blonde laughed. "You guys should see the view from up here it's really- WHOA" Naruto slipped off the branch.

"AAAAHHHH NARUTO!!!" the silver haired genin screamed running forward. She skidded to a halt looking around.

_Shit where did he fall? I'm sure it was right- _She looked up again to find Naruto standing upside-down on the branch

"Ha ha ha ha scared you didn't I?" he laughed.

"GGGRRRR NARUTO GET DOWN HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!!" Inara screamed.

" Ha ha ha I don't think so!" the blonde teased. "UH-OH!!" Not being used to using chakra as a steady flow, Naruto's feet had with out warning release themselves from the tree.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH"

"Shut up baka! I'm not going to let you fall." Naruto looked up, well down in his case, and there was Sasuke hanging on to his ankle with a very annoyed look on his face.

"Why do I have to keep saving you two?" Sasuke asked pulling Naruto back up on to the branch. "Answer me that."

**Tree House...**

_Splat_. Zabuza squished and apple with his bare hands.

"Well it looks like my strength has finally returned to me Haku." he growled. "No thanks to your cooking though."

"Hey I tried the best I could! Be thankful it's even eatable."

"Enough with the idle chit-chat, it's time to go." said the Demon of the Mist.

"As you wish master." Haku obediently followed his master out of the room.

**Temporary Training Grounds... Sunset...**

A gentle breeze made the tops of the mighty trees sway gracefully, but making it all the harder to climb.

"It's getting late. You wanna head back Inara?"

"Sure... I guess."

Inara and Sasuke jumped down from the trees they had been climbing. Naruto decided to stay at the hotel and take a little break since he had excelled past his teammates.

They walked in to the hotel lobby spying Kakashi reading his book in one of the lounge chairs.

"Sensei... we made it... both of us... up to the very top."Inara gasped, it had been a long day.

"Good tomorrow you can help me and Naruto guard Tazuna." said Kakashi, not even bothering to look up from his book. "Speaking of which... here he is now."

Tazuna had arrived to check up on how his bodyguards were fairing.

"Whew.. What a day. The bridge is almost complete."

**Next Day...**

"Kakashi sensei what do we do about Naruto? He's still asleep." Sasuke mumbled.

"Let him sleep, he worked really hard yesterday and almost used up all of his chakra. It's best if he rested for a while. He'll join us when he wakes up." smiled the Jonin.

**Gato Shipping Industries... Same Day...**

Gato sat on an expensive chair with two of his henchmen, one on either side of him talking on a cell phone.

"Excellent, so are you ready to attack then?"

There was a moments pause before he replied, "Good, good, they won't know what hit them."

He hung up the cell phone laughing evilly.

"Today is the day I make myself known through out the world!" the short man shouted.

**Mizu no Kumi Hotel...**

The blonde ninja cracked open an eye and looked over at the clock.

"HOLY SHIT IT'S THAT TIME ALREADY? I OVER SLEPT!!" Naruto jumped up from the floor and burst out of the room.

"I can't believe they left with out me!" he yelled running out into the street. "Now let's see where were we supposed to go today?"

**Construction Site...**

"What the hell happened here?" Kakashi asked.

Dead bodies were scattered in every direction, blood pooled around them. Sasuke and Inara fought the urge to gag up their morning meals. The smell of death was everywhere, Inara knew it well. The sick sticky sweet odor that clung to the air like a small child to it's mother;it was disgusting. Inara couldn't hold it in anymore. She ran to the edge of the bridge and regurgitated her breakfast.

"W-who would do something like this sensei?" she stammered wiping her mouth.

A thick mist started to envelope the bridge and everyone on it.

"_I_ would ." growled a voice.

"I knew he wasn't dead!" said Kakashi drawing a kunai.

"Right let's finish this once and for all!" shouted Sasuke taking a defensive stance.

"Ha ha ha if you wish, your deaths shall be quick and painless." growled Zabuza. "Haku finish them!"

AN: DUHN DUHN DUHN end of chapter 5! I'm so happy! Sorry about the cliffhanger but it was getting too long so I had to cut it short. Thanx to all my readers you guys are awsome!!! Keep Reviewing!! Well Ja ne for now!

Anbu Warrior


	6. Sacrifice

An: Hello again, wow this story has gotten over 500 hits!

Naruto: Wow 500 hits? That's a lot.

Me: What the? Naruto what are you doing here?

Naruto: I just felt like dropping in.

Me: Dropping in? (Looks at roof) NARUTO WHAT THE HELL? WHY IS THERE A HOLE IN MY ROOF!!!

Naruto: Heh heh sorry about that.

Me: Oh you'll be sorry alright.

Naruto: What's that supposed to mean? (Backs away slowly)

Disclaimer: No sorry I don't own Naruto but I _really _wish I did.

**Sacrifice **

Demonic laughter filled the foggy air, sending chills down the two genin's spines.

"It's been a while Kakashi," Zabuza's voice seemed to be everywhere at once, "I see you have those runts tagging along with you as usual. Oh look this ones trembling with fear already. **Mizu Bushin no Jutsu**!" (Water Clone Jutsu) Ten Zabuza's suddenly surrounded the small group, their swords drawn.

Sasuke's features remained passive. A smirk started to creep across his face, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm trembling with excitement bring down a bastard like you." he growled, drawing a kunai. "May I sensei?" asked the boy.

"Have fun Sasuke." That was all the Uchiha needed to start his onslaught on the water clones. Before anyone could blink all the water copies had disintegrated back in to simple sea water.

"I see my water clones were too easy for you, it seems you brats have improved since our last battle." growled the real Zabuza appearing out of the fog with Haku standing next to him.

"He should be worthy opponent for you now Haku."

"Indeed" chuckled the masked figure.

Inara ground her teeth, infuriated.

"Sasuke will be more than a match for you!" she yelled.

"Oh he will be will he?" questioned Zabuza. _Things are always more interesting when someone thinks that they will stand a chance against Haku._ "How do you know girl?"

Inara glared at the man; being careful to keep her anger in check, she gave him her answer.

"I know because Sasuke is..." she stopped, glancing at her teammate, who knew what she was about to say. He nodded, giving her permission to continue.

"I know because Sasuke is an Uchiha! The last member of the greatest clan in all of Kohona!" she spat. "The Uchiha blood flows strongly through his veins!" she continued. "He will prove to be more than a challenge for little sidekick!"

The Demon's eyes widened, "So...so it's true then...I heard that one small child had escaped the fate of the rest of the clan, but to think that you would get to face him Haku; this is quite an rare honor indeed."

Sasuke's coal black eyes penetrated Inara's pale yellow ones.

"You didn't need to tell them that much."

Inara blushed noticeably. "Sorry got a little carried away."

"I'll say you did, but enough about my lineage." he turned to face Haku and Zabuza, "Come on, I've been needing an exercise."

"Why you cocky little rat. HAKU FINISH HIM!" shouted Zabuza.

Haku obediently sprang in to action, first appear here, then there; no human eye could track the masked boy's movements, not even Inara, who wasn't exactly human.

Sasuke leapt forward countering all of Haku's attacks.

_Impossible...how can he keep up? No one can match Haku's speed!_ Thought Zabuza.

Inara reached for her sword; her eyes widened in horror as she only grasped thin air. In the haste of leaving the hotel Inara had forgotten the sword in the room.

_Great now what am I going to do? _Though the white haired Kunoichi._ That sword is my main weapon!_

Kasaki's voice erupted in her brain,** "Hatchling what have I told you about relying so heavily on a metal stick?"** laughed the dragon.

_Oh quit lecturing me and lend me some of your chakra; I'm still exhausted from yesterday._

** "Alright little one, but use it wisely." **

Black chakra replaced Inara's normal blue; concentrating hard to keep it in control, her eyes flickered to their demonic ice blue coloring. Inara felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Inara don't loose control of yourself!" Kakashi warned her.

"I won't sensei," she turned to look at the Jonin. "I promise."

Zabuza's insane laughter broke what little peace there was left in the air.

"So touching, the teacher, student relationship. Too bad I'll have to end it!" the Demon of the Mist charged forward. Kakashi roughly shoved his student out of the way of the villain's sword. Inara hit the concrete, her head snapped back slamming it in to the hard stone; blood trickled down her face, the mouth of the wound hidden by her headband. Wiping the sticky red fluid out of her eyes she jumped up to help her teammate.

"Heh heh heh so both of you have to guts to attack me? It won't do you any good." laughed Haku dishing out a few more attacks, all of which missed their target. "But I'm afraid that I have the advantage here."

Sasuke's body stiffened, "What're you babbling about?"

"Look around you Uchiha, we're surrounded by water, and I've blocked one of your hands. Now you can't stop me when I do this!" In a blink of an eye Haku had formed a hand sign.

_ Ach... but how did he?_ Sasuke prepared himself for a very punishing blow.

"NNNNNNOOOOOO!!" Inara's body knocked Haku to the side, upsetting the Jutsu that was about to hit her friend dead on.

The black haired boy was started wide eyed at the girl.

"Guess you don't owe me anymore now do you?" he joked, still shocked at what had just about happened to him.

"Nope I guess not. LOOK OUT!" the Kunoichi shoved her teammate to the ground just as a fist-full of Senbon needles were about to pierce their bodies.

Inara got up wiping more blood from her face. "Again with the needles. Why does it have to be needles?"

Sasuke laughed causing Inara to let her guard down, a dangerous mistake that they would both pay for.

** "Makyo Hyo Sho!"** (Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors) The water sitting on the ground sprang up and formed a dome of ice around the two friends, the air turned cold inside.

"What the hell is this?" Inara gasped

"I don't know but I have a bad feeling about this." Sasuke growled looking for his enemy.

**With Kakashi...**

_Haku must be desperate if he's using that Jutsu already. _Thought Zabuza,_ "What's he up to?_

"Heh heh heh heh, your precious little students are finished! No one has ever seen Haku's Crystal Ice Mirror Jutsu and lived to tell about it!" mocked the Demon.

"Sasuke...Inara!" Kakashi took a step forward.

"Ah ah ah Kakashi... you move... I take out the old man!" Zabuza dragged his sword across the ground for effect.

_Damn it... I swore that I wouldn't let my comrades die! __But if I move...it's all over. _Kakashi searched his mind... thinking in vain for someway to rescue his students, while not leaving Tazuna completely exposed to an attack. The more he thought the more he was convinced that this was going to be the genin's last battle.

_No...That's not true... Inara and Sasuke aren't helpless; they can fend for them selves! _A not so old memory emerged from his train of thought.

"_Inara good work choosing to protect the bridge builder." _

_ "Thanks sensei!" beamed the young girl._

_ "But had the situation been different you would have sacrificed your own friend!"_

_Inara's smile disappeared from her face, replaced with horror at what she had almost done._

_ "However..." he began again, "sometimes the mission is more important that friends."_

Kakashi shook his head to clear he mind. How could he be thinking about that at a time like this! He needed to pay attention to what was happening around him now!

"Worried about your little brats Kakashi?" teased the Demon of the Mist, "don't look so upset... Haku will make their deaths swift and painless."

The Jonin's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You're forgetting one important detail Momochi."

_ "_Oh and what would that be Hatake?"

"There's one of us missing you imbecile! Our number one hyperactive knuckle headed ninja." smirked the white haired Shinobi.

A loud explosion tore through the air, startling the rivals. Kakashi shook his head; he knew what was going on.

"NARUTO UZAMAKI HAS ARRIVED!" erupted the blonde.

"Right on que."Chuckled Kakashi, "Good work Naruto."

"Hey sensei where's Inara and Sasuke?"

Keeping one eye on Zabuza, Kakashi pointed in the direction of the ice dome.

"Their in there, see if you can't get them out! Hurry and be careful!"

"Right" Naruto shot off in the direction the Jonin had indicated. Zabuza started to follow, but Kakashi stepped in his way.

"Not so fast Zabuza, you battle is with me remember?"

"Fine if that's the way you want it!" growled the rogue Nin.

**With Sasuke and Inara...**

Haku's image disappeared and reappeared with lighting fast speed.

"You like it?" he teased, "you two are trapped in here and there's nothing you can do about it!" insane laughter filled the genin's ears.

"OH YEAH! TAKE THIS!!" a streak of orange darted into the ice prison, there was no doubt on who it could be.

"NARUTO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Inara shouted, "You just ruined our chances of getting out of here!"

Naruto's face fell, "huh? What do ya mean?" he asked scratching his head.

"BAKA!" Sasuke was furious, "IF YOU HAD ANY BRAINS IN THAT THICK SKULL OF YOUR'S YOU WOULD HAVE ATTACKED FROM THE OUTSIDE!!"

"Sasuke forget it, what's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it now." Inara scuffed her feet on the ground.

_This is going to be harder than I thought, now not only do I have to watch out for Sasuke but Naruto as well...why me?_

"I hate to break up the reunion,as touching as it is, but we have a battle to finish here." Haku's reflection showed him clutching a handful of Senbon, "and I intend to end it as soon as possible!" the needles flew through the air with deadly speed and accuracy, hitting their targets.

The genin screamed out in agony as the needles imbedded themselves into their flesh, finally the attack ended.

"Well the hell did that come from? Where is he?" Naruto looked around frantically. Inara rose to her feet wiping blood from mouth, "Idiot, don't...you think...we've looked...already?" she panted; her energy was wearing down fast.

"Hhhhhmmmm… and you guys call me the dumb one." laughed the orange clad genin.

** "**What are you talking about?" Sasuke's temper was wearing thin.

"Well this dome is made of ice _right_?"

Inara was confused, "Yeah but what does that have to do with any…" a light turned on in the Kunoichi's head.

Naruto continued, "_So_ Sasuke, with all the fire jutsus you know, you should be able to melt this thing and get us out of here!"

The Uchiha shook his head, "I guess I'm going to have to come up with a new nickname for you huh? Alright you two stand back…." Forming some simple hand signs, he drew in a deep breath of precious air that he would need to make the jutsu work.

"KANTO: GOKAKYU NO JUTSU!!" (Fire style: Fireball Justu) Flames burst from the boy mouth, hitting the ice mirrors. _Heh that should do it._ He thought as his lungs ran out of air.

"Inara, Naruto come on lets get out of here!" Sasuke sprinted forward not bothering to see if the jutsu worked.

"Sasuke look out!" _BLAM_ "Too late." Sasuke had run face first into an Ice Mirror.

"Ouch that had to hurt." said Naruto.

Sasuke got up and shook his head to clear away the dizziness.

"WHAT THE... WHY DIDN'T IT WORK?"

Haku's laughter filled the air again, "Did you honestly think that a little flame like that would melt my mirrors? You've got to be kidding me!"

"YOU JERK! IF FIRE CAN'T MELT THESE MIRRORS I'LL JUST BREAK 'EM INSTEAD!!" Naruto's short temper got the better of him.

"No you idiot, Don't!" shouted Sasuke but it was too late.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Twelve Naruto's began beating on the mirrors as a hard they could. Senbon flew through the air disintegrating all the clones; leaving the real Naruto looking somewhat like a porcupine.

A flicker of movement caught Sasuke and Inara's eyes, a split second later another rainstorm of Senbon came at them, digging a little deeper this time.

_Ugh…he's toying with us… _thought the Kunoichi. "Naruto do that again!" she ordered.

"Right"

"Inara what do you think you're…" Inara interrupted him.

"SASUKE WATCH FOR THE ATTACK! FIND OUT WHERE IT'S COMING FROM!"

Knowing that arguing would be useless, Sasuke forced some of what was left of his chakra to his eyes; everything seemed to stand still, he could see the origin of the Senbon. What was a little scarier was, after Naruto had performed the jutsu, Sasuke could only see the real Naruto; all the clones were nothing but blurs of chakra.

**With Kakashi and Zabuza...**

_Naruto you little dunce! What have you done!_ Kakashi's eyes widened with horror, now all three of his students were stuck in the ice prison.

"That one's not too smart is he?" Zabuza mocked.

Trying hard not to loose control of his anger, Kakashi clenched and unclenched his fists.

The Jonin turned to Tazuna who had been silently watching the whole drama unfold, "If you'll excuse me mister Tazuna but I have to finish this!" Kakashi rested his hand on his headband; only hesitating for a second before tugging it up to reveal his Sharingan.

"Using the Sharingan again? How predicable" Zabuza sneered, he ran forward towards Kakashi, kunai drawn. Blood dropped to the cold cement below, Zabuza's kunai had been blocked, but blood still flowed.

"You can act all you want...but that doesn't change the fact that your scared of the Sharingan and of me." a small smirk appeared on Kakashi's clothed face, "You should feel quite privileged ...no one has ever lived to see my Sharingan more then once, but I intend to make it so you don't see it a third time."

Zabuza laughed, "By all means destroy me, if you can, but even then you'll never stand a chance against Haku. Since he was little, I've beaten the way of shinobi in to him. His skills surpass even my own and he bears with him a most remarkable kekkei genkai! I formed him into a weapon of destruction," he sneered, "Unlike the trash that follows you Kakashi."

The Jonin felt his blood boil over, rage enveloped his senses, "You know there nothing more boring than listening to someone else brag...IT'S SHOWTIME!!!" Kakashi brought his injured hand up forming a hand sign.

Zabuza snorted, "The same Jutsu isn't going to work on me twice Hatake! I know all about your little mirror-wheel eye!"

"Is that so? Well let's skip the school lesson and get this over with."

"Fine by me... hope you like your grave! **Kirigakure no Jutsu!**" (Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu) The rogue shinobi disappeared into the mist.

**With Naruto, Sasuke and Inara…**

Another shower of Senbon ended leaving the three genin lying wounded on the ground. Inara raised her head, not ready to give up yet. _There must be a limit on his chakra too; the attacks are getting weaker and further in between._

** "Well observed hatchling, if all three of you manage to stay alive you should be able to bring him down."**

_No kidding, but how exactly do we do that?_

** "I have no clue."**

Haku's image shifted again, moving in for another attack. Inara shot past her teammates to try and get at least one punch in. Searing pain burst from her leg as she stumbled over, Sasuke caught her just as she was about to hit the ground. Sasuke winced when he looked at her leg. A Senbon needle had traveled clean through Inara's shin and was now lodged in on of the bones; it was clear that the leg was broken. Barring his teeth like a beast gon mad, Sasuke gently set Inara down on the cold ground.

"_That's it...play time is over."_ he hissed, teeth still barred.

**With Kakashi and Zabuza...**

_This mist is too thick, not even Zabuza will be able to see through it... but where could he be?_

The Jonin closed his eyes and concentrated on all the noises around him, the ocean waves slapping against the support beams of the bridge, the squawking of the sea birds, and a faint whistling growing steadily louder. He opened his eyes just in time to pull out a kunai and deflect a handful of shuriken.

"You repelled those nicely, but I wouldn't have expected less of a Sharingan wielder!" the Demon of the Mist's voice echoed from behind Kakashi, "however the next time you see me you will be lying in a pool of your own blood."

The copy Nin turned around slowly so as not to alert his enemy of any movement.

_Ah...his eyes are closed!_

"You overestimated the value of your Sharingan Kakashi, a fatal mistake. By closing my eyes your have no control over me!" Zabuza sprang forward dealing the white haired shinobi a hard kick in the stomach.

Kakashi had the air knocked out of him as he skidded backwards, struggling to stay on his feet, "You forgot something Momochi."

"Oh and what would that be?"

"With your eyes closed how are you going to attack me?"

"HA it is you who forgets, remember I am the master of the silent kill, my skill is to hunt my prey with sound alone!"

Kakashi drew in a quick breath, _it's been awhile since I fought someone this skilled...alright stay calm...where would he attack first? THE BRIDGE BUILDER!!_

He jumped forward towards Tazuna, but Zabuza had reached him first. Blood flew through the air falling in to the sea below, the insane laughter as thick as the mist that carried it through the afternoon air.

**With Inara, Sasuke, and Naruto...**

"You're good at running away, but my next move will take you down for good!" Sasuke hissed though clenched teeth.

"That's what you think." Haku's reflection shifted slightly.

_Here he comes...stay calm and try to see through the illusion..._ Moving quickly to one side, the Uchiha was able to dodge Haku's attack completely. Haku was shocked; no one could dodge his attacks.

_How did he do that? No one can match my speed._

Sasuke turned around to face his opponent, eyes flaring.

_Th-those eyes...it can't be... the Sharingan?_

Sasuke drew a kunai, "IT'S TIME TO BRING THIS TO AN END!"

_Fine... if I can't attack him...I'll get his precious friends instead!_ Haku darted towards Naruto and Inara Senbon needles poised for the kill.

Sasuke anticipated the boy's movements, "OH NO YOU DON'T!"

"SASUKE!!" despite her broken leg Inara sprang to her feet, but she was too late.

Warm blood spattered across her face, funning down her cheeks like crimson tears. She and Naruto managed to catch their mortally wounded comrade before his body hit the blood soaked cement.

Inara's breath was rapid, was he still alive? Not caring if Naruto saw she put her ear close to Uchiha's mouth, listening for any breathing; he was, but barely, his breath shallow and quivering.

Her tears began to mix with the blood on her face, and splashed down on the boy's wounds. "Why...why you idiot? Why did you have to do it? We could have taken care of ourselves! We didn't need your protection!" she sobbed, black hair mixed with white as she drew Sasuke's head closer to her own; it was Naruto's turn to speak.

As the blonde knelt down, Sasuke just barley opened his eyes; they had returned to their normal coal black. "Wipe...that stupid...expression off your face...Naruto. Inara...put me down... and stop crying." he managed to gasp. "I used to hate you, you know... both of you."

Naruto tried to hide the tears of anger flowing down his face, but to no avail. "Then why did you...SASUKE YOU BASTARD! YOU SHOULD HAVE MINDED YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!" Shouted the blonde.

The raven hair boy chuckled slightly only to cough up more blood. "Because," he stammered, "I couldn't trust a dobe like you to protect Inara."

"Who said I wanted you to protect me?" sniffed the Kunoichi.

"Well... let's ...just...say... that I wouldn't...be able to live with...myself if...anything...bad were to...happen to you..." Sasuke smiled.

Tears began to flow again, "Sasuke you...you..." She couldn't finish her sentence, she was too heart broken; the only one that she ever loved, was dying right in front of her.

Sasuke tuned Naruto, "Baka...protect her... if you let that bastard... lay one hand on her... I'll come back and make your life...a living hell... Got it?"

Naruto nodded.

"I hear voices...their calling me...I have to go...goodbye... my friends." With the last of the air in his lungs Sasuke bid his friends farewell; he closed his eyes and went limp in Inara's arms.

Naruto cracked his fists, "I'm never going to forgive you for this Uchiha!" Orange chakra burst from the boy's body forming a giant fox.

**"So Kyuubi lives... does he?"** Kasaki growled, his voice filled with venom.

**With Kakashi...**

The Jonin brought his hand up to his chest wincing in pain as his hand ran along the deep gash.

Zabuza smiled menacingly, "You let your guard down Kakashi…stop worrying about your little brats! You'll be joining them shortly."

"I beg to differ; they won't give up that easily. I have faith in them, the Uchiha and the Ayanomi are the top of their class; the best genin Kahona has." Zabuza snorted in disgust.

Thinking quickly the white haired shinobi with drew a scroll just as the Demon of the Mist disappeared again.

Wiping his thumb on his still bleeding injury he dragged it across the scroll smearing it with his blood.

" **Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!**" (Ninja Art Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged pursuit Jutsu)

Ten dogs burst from the ground grabbing biting anything they could reach that was attached to the rough Nin. Zabuza yelled out in pain, dogs clamped every inch of his body; their teeth ripping in to his flesh. He tried to move but failed, he was immobilized.

AN: I am so sorry that this was so late. I mad it a little longer to make up for it though so please don't hurt me! (Cowers) I was suffering from writer's block again for a week… I don't plan these inconveniences they just happen and very inappropriate times. I have to say this was the hardest chapter I've written yet, the whole thing was a friggen battle scene which I already suck at writing!!!!! To all the Sasuke lovers out there sorry I had to put the confession in here somewhere and this chapter seemed better than the next one. I should have to next chap done in about two weeks because of Easter, but it might be later due to writer's block. If that does happen I apologize before hand. (Bows) PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING THEY REALLY HELP!


	7. Rage and Revenge

AN: No, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME WRITE ANOTHER WORD! (Some random person chains me to the computer desk) Aw man I really hate starting new chapters they're so . . . so . . . AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! (Whimpers) I have a headache. I HOPE YOU PEOPLE ARE HAPPY . . . JEEZE!!! Just kidding . . . writing this story is a lot of fun.

Disclaimer: why do I have to put this in every chapter? I think we've established the fact that I DON'T OWN NARUTO!!!!!!!

**Rage and Revenge **

_ Black blood spilled over the vast desert sand, a black dragon lay severely injured; his breath coming quicker every second, he knew the end was near. _

_ "What's the matter Kasaki?" growled voice from the shadows, "Tired already? How pathetic, I thought you would serve more of a challenge. Oh well, say goodbye to everything you once held dear!" _

_ Kasaki opened his eyes just in time to see an orange paw rake its claws across his broken wings, now even if they healed, he would never fly again. Roaring in agony, Kasaki tried to stand up to face his opponent, finally he managed to get to his paws. Slowly and painfully he raised his head to face his challenger. _

_ "You're not . . . going . . . to beat . . . me that . . . easily . . . Kyuubi!" he gasped._

_ The orange fox glared at the foolish dragon, "WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" The demon fox sprang forward clamping his jaws around Kasaki's neck. The dragon's black blood splattered across Kyuubi's muzzle; with a final jerk of his head the orange fox dropped his enemy's throat and left him to die all alone on the warm sand._

These images flashed through Inara's mind, she could taste Kasaki's blood filling her mouth and felt the pure hatred for the red fox that had done this to her friend, filled her body. Closing her eyes, the kunoichi let loose a dangerous growl. She set Sasuke's body off to the side and slowly rose to her feet snarling at Naruto. It was at that moment Kasaki took over for the first time without Inara's permission.

_"Kyuubi!" _yelled the demon through the girl. Naruto forgot his anger and turned to his teammate.

"Inara what the he-" Inara's fist shot out catching him in the jaw. The orange clad genin went flying across the ice prison and skidded to a halt. Inara had a wild grin on her face, a grin of revenge.

Naruto shook and tilted his head to hear better the laughter that filled the cold dome, it was Haku's.

"Oh this is too good, I kill one of your friends and the other turns on you, what will happen next?" he chuckled.

Something inside Naruto snapped, was it the masked boy's laughter or Inara's sudden betrayal? He didn't know, all the genin knew is that he wanted blood, anyone's; it didn't matter if it came from enemies or friends.

Haku's laughter stopped, things were no longer funny; now that Naruto had decided that he needed to die.

Howling like a wild beast, Naruto's teeth lengthened, his shaggy blonde hair thickened and worst of all his usual blue eyes had changed to match the blood that he was about to spill.

Haku threw a fistful of Senbon, Naruto dodged and slammed his fist into the mirror that Haku had been in; he missed and the mirror shattered.

Haku was running scared, _what the hell is this . . . this monster?_ He was forced to a halt as Inara pounced in front on his intended destination.

_ That's it . . . I'm finished . . . they're too strong . . . if I can just take out one more I might stand a better chance._ Haku stumbled forward, trying to reach a different mirror, but Inara had grabbed hold of one of his legs and was now clinging on with all her strength.

Haku felt the bones in his leg begin to crack, yielding to the pressure of the kunoichi's grip. Inara held the rogue in place while Naruto dove in for the kill.

Not wanting to die so easily, Haku drew some more Senbon and sent them piercing into Inara's neck. She let out a gargled scream, her mouth filling with blood. With her vision failing, she released the Mist rouge as her mind hurtled into darkness.

** With Kakashi . . . **

"**Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu**" (Ninja Art Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu) Eight dogs burst out of the concrete and latched themselves to any part of Zabuza they could get their teeth on.

The Jonin glared at the Demon of the Mist, "When eyes and ears fail you, you can always use your nose." Kakashi laughed at his own joke. "I let you injure me so I could use my Nin hounds to track you. The fog is lifting and I see your future, and you know what it is?"

Zabuza struggled against the dogs to no avail. Kakashi continued, "Your future is death!"

"You say my fate is to die here?" growled the Demon, "quit your bluffing!"

"Bluffing? I don't know what you're talking about, you are going to die here…by my hand!" Kakashi formed the hand signs, "**Raikiri**!" (Chidori or Lightning Blade I don't care which one you call it) Chakra formed in the Jonin's hand, a high pitched twittering like that of a thousand birds resounded through the air.

** With Inara…**

A bright light and a gentle shaking of her shoulder woke the kunoichi from her deep sleep.

"Inara wake up already; you didn't get hit that hard." The girl opened her eye and quickly shut them again due to the brightness of the white room.

"Don't worry you get used to it…" said a voice.

"Ugh where the hell am I?" she opened her eyes again and looked down at her clothes; they were the same, but the blood was gone and her injuries healed. She looked up and saw Sasuke sitting in front of her.

"Oh my god if I'm with you, I must be dead!" she shouted clutching her head with her hands.

"Inara relax. I don't think we're dead."

Inara stopped shouting, "Then where are we?"

"How the hell should I know?! It's way too bright here to be Hell and we're still dressed in our clothes so it's not Heaven either." The boy massaged his temple. This whole thing was a pain.

A light bulb flashed on in Inara's brain, "Then we must be in Purgatory!" she exclaimed.

"Wrong again, listen…hear that?"

The girl fell silent and strained to hear anything, there was a faint sound of someone talking; it kind of sounded like Naruto, but then again it didn't. She could hear punches being thrown and kicks being dealt, after which a groan or shout of pain would follow.

Inara turned to face Sasuke, "Okay if he's out there…then Naruto's the only hope we have of getting out of here?"

The raven haired boy nodded, "Him or Kakashi sensei."

"We're screwed." said Inara hitting herself in the head.

"Yep." Sasuke agreed and sat down.

** With Naruto...**

The mirrors were shattered; remnants of the ice prison lay scattered in every direction. Haku's mask cracked and fell to the ground; Naruto's fist was inches from his face. The pain and anger vanished from the blonde's face.

"You . . . You're that kid I met yesterday!" Naruto lowered his hand to his side.

Haku was bleeding heavily from the mouth but was still able to speak, "Why have you stopped?" he asked, "I have killed both of your friends, aren't you going to avenge their deaths?"

Naruto angled his head so he could keep one eye on the mask-less Nin, but still enough so he could see his companion's bodies. He envied them; they looked so peaceful. He was jealous that they had been able to die together, and that he wasn't able to join them or at lest protect them.

The Uzamaki clenched his teeth and dug his nails into his palm.

Haku coughed, sending small droplets of crimson blood falling to the bridge surface.

" I said it once and I'll say it again, when someone wants to protect someone, it is then that they become truly powerful . . . I'm sorry Zabuza . . . I am of no further use to you."

Naruto glared at his enemy, "What the hell is wrong with you?! That asshole doesn't care about anyone but himself and getting paid to kill whoever another scumbag hired him to annihilate! Is that bastard really your "precious friend?" He's using you to get what he wants and nothing else! To him you're nothing but a toy that can be tossed aside when broken!" the genin shouted.

Haku smiled at the younger boy's enthusiasm, "Before master Zabuza, I was precious, I did belong . . . to my parents. But because of my kekkei genkai, my father killed my mother and almost took me with her. But I escaped and killed my father."

Naruto shrugged, he hated sob stories, they reminded him too much of his own past.

"So where does the Eyebrow-less freak come in?"

"After killing my father, no one would take me in because of my "special ability." So I left and wandered the streets alone, until my master found me, took me in, and trained me to be his tool. And now I have failed him . . . Zabuza you have no use for a broken tool like me." Haku gazed down at his feet, letting the feel of failure overtake him. "Naruto, please I beg you . . . please kill me."

The blonde inhaled sharply.

"Why do you hesitate? Kill me please!" Haku cried.

Naruto shook his head, "Is that the only way? Is death the only answer?"

"Yes. There is no other way . . . you must."

Sighing regrettably, Naruto drew a kunai, "I hope you find your dream." he glanced back one more time at his teammates bodies, trying to make himself angry enough to perform the task, it worked and he sprinted forward.

"Thank you Naruto." Haku shut his eyes and awaited death. _You are going to be very strong, the fog is clearing, I can see clearly._

Something didn't feel right, Haku's eye snapped open; Naruto slashed with his kunai, but Haku blocked him.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but my master needs me one last time." Haku vanished, leaving behind a puddle of salt water.

** With Kakashi . . . **

Blue chakra formed in the Jonin's hand, darting in and out like lightning bolts, a twittering noise resounded through the air. Kakashi took aim at Zabuza and bolted forward with blinding speed. The former ANBU felt warm blood as his hand passed through flesh, blood, bone and muscle tissue.

"Ach!" Kakashi had missed. Instead of killing Zabuza, his hand had torn through his sidekick. The light left Haku's eyes, they clouded over with death.

"Nicely done Haku…" Zabuza complemented. "Who'd a thought your loss, would be my gain?" Zabuza gripped the hilt of his sword and brought it slashing forward toward Kakashi.

_ He's insane . . . _the Jonin thought._ He'd cut right through his own partner just to get to me? _Kakashi ducked to avoid the sharp blade; by putting his foot on Haku's chest, he was able to dislodge his hand from the boy's abdomen.

Fifty feet away from the carnage, Naruto watched the fight proceed. The genin clenched his fists lost in thought.

_That basterd! How could he treat Haku like some toy?_

Kakashi sensed his students rage, "Naruto stay out of this...this is _my_ fight."

Demonic laughter reached Naruto's ears, "Don't let you guard down Kakashi!" rushing forward again Zabuza took aim at his target, but was only successful in receiving a hard kick in the gut. The sword wielder shook his head to clear his vision, "What the hell? Why can't I cut him?" Zabuza sprinted forward again and again, only to receive more of the same injuries. Finally deciding that he had had enough of playing around, Zabuza charged one last time.

Kakashi was too quick for him and neatly sidestepped out of the way, grabbed the back of Zabuza's neck and held it firm.

"When are you going to learn that you can't beat me Zabuza?" the copy Nin swiftly drew two kunai from their holder and positioned them for the kill. "This is good-bye Demon!"

Kakashi shoved the kunai at Zabuza's neck, but the Demon was faster. With movements no one but Kakashi could track, he sent his sword on a deadly path toward Kakashi's back; causing Kakshi's kunai to miss, stabbing Zabuza not in the neck but in his sword arm.

With the muscles in his arm shredded, Zabuza dropped his weapon, why keep it when he could no longer lift it?

Kakashi threw another kunai at his enemies' other arm; it too was now useless. "There now both of your arms are paralyzed. That means no hand signs, no sword etc." said Kakashi dusting off his sleeves in attempt to get rid of some of the blood.

"Well he put you in you're placed didn't he Zabuza?"

Kakashi looked at the south end of the bridge and saw a short fat man with white hair and a cane accompanied by roughly twenty or more thugs.

"You must be Gato I presume?" said the Jonin tugging on his headband to hide his Sharingan.

"Gato? What're you doing here?" Zabuza struggled to straighten up, his arms dangled like limp noodles at his sides. "And why did you bring _them_?" he nodded toward the men behind Gato.

The businessman smiled ruthlessly, "Well there's been a slight change in plans Zabuza. To put it simply you've become too expensive, so I've decided to take you out. Thanks to this gentleman and his student," Gato nodded at Kakashi and Naruto who was now by his teacher's side, "it shouldn't take too much."

The crowed behind the short man jeered at the "Demon of the Mist."

"Forgive me Kakashi but our battle is over for now." Zabuza didn't even bother turning around.

Gato sauntered up to Haku's cold body, "That reminds me, I have a score to settle with you!" and kicked the corpse off to the side. "That's for almost breaking my arm you little brat!"

Naruto was outraged, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU ASSHOLE?" Naruto took off, running full speed at Gato. He was brought up short by Kakashi snatching the back of his jacket.

"Naruto we've had this discussion before, don't go charging into things before fully contemplating the risks!" he lectured.

Naruto wasn't about to give up, "Hey you! The one without any eyebrows!" Zabuza glanced over his shoulder, "yeah you!" Naruto continued, "Do something! You were everything to that kid!"

"What's the use? Haku's dead." said Zabuza.

"You pain in the ass! Haku lived for you! He gave his life for you! And that fat pork chop is disgracing him, and you're telling me that you don't care! What kind of human are you?"

Kakashi gave Naruto's jacket a rough jerk, "Naruto that's enough, he's not our enemy anymore."

"Let go of me!," the blonde wrenched his sensei's hand off of his collar. "As far as I can see it, he's enemy number one!" Naruto pointed at Haku's body, "He cared about you! But you think he was nothing! You don't feel anything! He gave up his dream so you could fulfill your own." tears were beginning to well up in the genin's eyes "If that's what it means to have that kind of power, then I don't want it."

Zabuza listened to Naruto's seemingly endless rambling, but somehow the kids' words made sense. He realized now how much he had relied on Haku. He had found the kid alone on the street, took him in, and treated him as a tool that could easily be thrown away. Now Zabuza saw how much Haku had depended on him in the early years of his life. Hot tears of guilt ran down Zabuza's face, "Kid, shut up." He wiped the tears from his face so no one would see, "Haku was too gentle, too kind and now I will avenge him." the Demon of the Mist turned to face Naruto, "Can I borrow your kunai?"

Naruto stood stalk still before reaching into his shuriken pouch and tossing Zabuza the weapon.

Biting through his facial bandages, the rogue Shinobi caught it in his teeth and took off towards Gato and his thugs.

Gato took a step backward, "What're you fools waiting for? KILL HIM!" he ordered.

The bandits just stood staring a Zabuza who was running like a bat out of hell. Behind him chakra formed in to the shape of a demon. Some of the thieves turned and ran for their lives, others stayed.

Gato hid himself among his cronies, as they stabbed, slashed and lunged at the hell bent Nin. Zabuza fought his way through them valiantly until he reached Gato; by then he was half dead from all the swords, spears, and shuriken that penetrated his body.

"WHY DON'T YOU DIE?" yelled Gato backing away. More thugs moved in to stick Zabuza some more, but demon inside the Mist Nin wanted blood, and it was going to get it.

"I'm taking you with me Gato! WELCOME TO HELL!" Sunlight shone off the kunai and Gato's head rolled on the surface of the bridge; the rest of the body fell to the ground.

Zabuza struggled to keep his balance, his vision blurred as death moved in like a cold blanket. "I'm sorry Haku... thank you for everything." his knees buckled and he fell to the dirt, breathing heavily.

** With Inara and Sasuke...**

Inara sat quietly waiting... _He should attack in 3...2...1..._

Sasuke's form burst out of nowhere and slammed into Inara, who quickly, without thinking, placed her foot in his gut and flipped him on to his back pinning him with his arms above his head. She sat there on his stomach giving him an "I told you so" smile.

Sasuke glared at her,_ Curse her defenses!_ He thought, "Okay enough playing, let me up." the Uchiha demanded.

Inara smirked, "Say it first," she teased.

"Not in a million years."

"Say it or you can stay like that for all of eternity."

Sasuke rolled his eyes; this girl sure was annoying, "Fine, you're a better Shinobi than I am. There you happy?"

"Yep" the kunoichi released her prisoner, "You know Sasuke, women are always right even if their wrong."

The black haired genin jumped to his feet, "I'll take that into consideration when you become one." he retorted brushing himself off, even though there was nothing on his clothing to begin with.

It was Inara's turn to roll her eyes. With a quick double take to make sure she was right she reached over and tugged on the sleeve of Sasuke's shirt.

"What now?" he asked

"Look at that over there. Was that there a minute ago?"

Sasuke looked at the direction Inara was pointing; he saw a small hole roughly the size of a softball in the white room.

"I don't know, let's go check it out." he suggested

"Race ya!" and Inara sped off in the holes direction.

Sasuke shook his head and ran off after her, "Hey no fair Inara you go ahead start!"

After a few minutes of running they reach the "hole" turns out it was the size of a house.

"Hey I can see Naruto and Kakashi sensei!" Inara exclaimed. "This must be a window of some sort."

"Hmm." the Uchiha reached forward to touch the opening; his hand was immediately sucked through. He pulled it back before the rest of him could follow. "I think it's a portal to get back to the living world," he said clenching and unclenching his hand. "Okay on the count of three we jump through got it? One."

"Wait a minute Sasuke..."

"Two"

"How do we know if it's not an illusion?"

"THREE" Sasuke grabbed Inara's hand a leapt thought the opening. They began falling faster and faster until everything was black.

Inara opened her eyes and sat up. The Senbon needles still firmly in place, she crawled painfully over to see if Sasuke had woken up yet; he had and was busy trying to pull all the needles out of himself. Inara laughed and began to the same to herself. Her attention was then drawn from her work to a large crowd shouting.

"Hey Sasuke forget about the needles and come on, from the looks of things over there Kakshi sensei and Naruto about to become crow food."

Sasuke look at the south end of the bridge, "Why are we always the ones to save them huh? Answer me that!"

"Oh quit your whining and hurry up!"

Inara and Sasuke ran over to their comrades.

** With Naruto, Kakashi and Zabuza...**

"Hey we as much as we hate tearing up this heartfelt moment, but you guys killed our paycheck and now things get personal, unless of course you could pay us." said one of theRobbers. "But from the looks of you don't have any money either, so boys, we're just going to have to raid that village!" shouts of agreement were heard all around. "Alright then it's settled!" the whole mass of thugs started towards Kakashi and Naruto with a crazy look in their eyes.

_ This isn't good, Naruto isn't strong enough to take all them on alone, but I don't have enough chakra to knock out enough of them so he could have a fair chance!_ Kakashi began to back away slowly, Naruto seeing his sensei retreating, followed suit.

Gato's cronies parted past Zabuza's still form and kept advancing.

"Hey sensei what'd we miss?" Kakashi looked behind him to see Inara and Sasuke running full bore right at him. Naruto's jaw dropped in amazement "I though you two were dead!"

The two genin came to a halt, "So did we until a few minutes ago." said Sasuke.

Inara looked past Kakashi and saw the bandits still advancing, "and by the look of things we're about to be dead for real if we don't do something soon."

Naruto stepped in front of Kakashi and took charge, Inara and Sasuke joined him, "Alright guys you know what to do!" the blonde called to them.

"Right!" answered Sasuke and Inara in unison.

"Ha what do you little punks think you're going to do huh?" said a man with strange tattoos across his entire body.

The genin smirked, "THIS!" Naruto shouted, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **(Shadow clone Jutsu)

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

"**Futon: Daitoppa!**" (Wind release: Great Breakthrough)

Most of the thugs where either pounded to a pulp by Naruto's shadow clones, burned to a crisp by Sasuke's fire technique or were sliced to ribbons by Inara's wind Jutsu. The remaining men turned heel and ran in the direction they had come, never to return to the Land of Waves again.

"Good work you three, I'm impressed you're finally working together as a team." Kakashi ruffled his student's hair.

"Kakashi..." groaned a voice, it was Zabuza he was still alive, "Kakashi your brats are stronger than I thought... you should be proud of them." the rouges voice was growing quite and quieter by the second. "Kakashi can you do something for me please?"

"Sure"

"I want to see him; I want to die by his side, like he did for me."

"Alright"

Snow began falling from the sky as Kakashi laid Zabuza down next to Haku.

"Thank you Kakashi...Haku are you crying?" Zabuza laid his hand on the boy's face.

_ You were at my side from the beginning and now I am at yours in the end_. _If I was able to, I would want to go to the same place you are._

"You can go Zabuza," said Kakashi, "you can go to where he is... you can be there together."

Zabuza smiled, "I wish it were that easy." With a final thank you to Haku, Zabuza left to another place, a place that would hopefully be better than to one he had left.

Their resting place was a simple one, no fancy trimmings and such. The Leaf Nin said their good-byes and left to rest after the hard fought battle.

** Next Day...**

"Ugh sensei no more, we're dying back here!" Inara complained.

Kakashi stopped running, "Only a few more laps around the village Inara; it's not that bad."

"Well pardon us for getting sick! It's not our fault it never stops raining in this godforsaken place!" Naruto groaned.

"Yeah Kakashi sensei, you didn't get stuck inside an ice dome for half the day _and_ have to sleep in a fricken freezer!" added Sasuke.

The Jonin let out an irritated sigh, "Alright you guys, here take one of these every six hours," he pulled out a small pill bottle from one of his vest pockets and threw it to his whining students.

Inara caught the bottle, "What're these for?" the label was illegible from previous journeys.

"Does it really matter as long as it helps?" Sasuke snatched the bottle from the kunoichi and swallow one of the pills before handing it off to Naruto, who did the same.

"I guess not." Inara took the bottle from Naruto and took the medicine.

"Okay everyone happy now?" Kakashi asked. The genin nodded.

"Good, now five more laps around the village and we'll call it quits."

Team Seven groaned, but started running anyway.

Over the next few agonizing days, the three genin grew to be friends quicker than their teacher had ever deemed possible, with the way they had acted towards each other just a few days ago. Sasuke stopped calling Naruto baka, except for those rare occasions when he really deserved it. Naruto had grown a little wiser and actually began to think about his action before he did them. Inara tolerated the boy's occasional fighting but was quick to break it up before it got violent and didn't side with Sasuke as much as she used to just to get his attention; she didn't need to. Inara had all the attention that she could ever want from the black haired Nin.

Being on the brink of death somehow made the two of them realize that they didn't need to play tough and take on the world alone. They could rely on each other for support; both had serious wrongs in their lives that they were hell bent on correcting. Sasuke against his brother and Inara against who ever destroyed her village. What started as an act of friendship turned in to a pact; Sasuke promised if Inara ever found the dirt-bags that wrecked her home, he would be by her side to bring them down, slowly and painfully. Inara promised that when the time came for Sasuke to kill his brother, she too would be by his side to give him a helping hand in the matter.

Inara and Sasuke started spending more time with each other, sharing personal interests, hobbies (that they hadn't mentioned when they first met Kakashi) future plans, and training methods. When they returned home Inara promise to teach Sasuke how to wield a sword and he swore to teach her some fire Jutsus.

Inara told Sasuke all about Kasaki, how he was always giving her fighting advice from inside her head, scolding her when she did something he thought was wrong (talking to Sasuke alone was one of them) and how Kasaki needed her after he was injured with his battle with Kyuubi.

"It must be great having all that power." said Sasuke one night.

"Not really, I have to restrain myself all the time, if I don't Kasaki says I might accidentally kill someone." Inara replied.

"But still... you can beat anyone you want...except for the Nine Tail Fox. Why're you still a genin? Don't you want to move on, use your strength to its full potential?" The Uchiha probed.

"It doesn't seem fair...for me to advance because I have this thing inside me, while you and Naruto have to sweat, bleed and fight your way to the top. No I'll move on when you guys move on." With that Inara rolled over and went to sleep, this time a little closer to the separation line in the carpet than necessary.

Days turned in to weeks and still Team Seven was stuck in the Land of Waves. The bridge was taking longer than originally thought to complete and Kakashi's students where as ill as ever.

"Sensei this stupid medicine isn't working!" Naruto yelled. It didn't help any all the Jonin did was increase the prescription. Soon they were so drugged up the three genin couldn't think straight, therefore had to stay in the hotel room/freezer all day. It drove Inara and Sasuke crazy, Naruto didn't object; he simply slept the whole time. The Ayanomi and Uchiha went with Naruto's choice of action and they too fell asleep.

**Ice Room Closet...Squad Seven...**

Inara opened one eye slowly and checked her surroundings. Cracking her back to just to hear the sound it made, she sat up and inspected the small closet again. Naruto was curled up on the proper side of the separation line snoring like a drunken man; but he was alone. The kunoichi looked around again trying to find Sasuke, when she felt some thing move beside her. Out of instinct she reached to grab a kunai from its holder, which she always had strapped to her leg. It wasn't there now. Her head snapped down to look for it and stared dumbly and her clothes; actually they weren't hers. Taking the place of her black cargo pants were a pair khaki shorts.

"What the hell?" Inara whispered not wanting to wake Naruto. Her eyes slowly worked their way up her body, they rested on a navy blue shirt a few sizes too big for her.

"Oh my god..._Kasaki what happened last night?_"

** "It seems to me that you and the black haired one don't act normally while medicated."** Said the dragon,** "But don't worry, you haven't been, how should I put this... robbed of anything."**

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inara felt something move around her waist. Turning her head ever so slowly, she saw the Uchiha sleeping peacefully with his arm wrapped around her middle, the training bandages on both of their arms and legs were hopelessly entangled. To make matters a little more nerve racking, Sasuke was laying there in just his boxers and undershirt. Inara face turned a deep red. Taking care not to wake him, she began to twirl some the coal black hair around her fingers.

A bright light bursting to the closet, "GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!" It was Kakashi.

Sasuke and Naruto jumped in to a sitting position when their sensei's voice boomed in the small space.

The Uchiha tried to stand, dragging Inara with him. The movement was so violent the bandages sprang back together causing the teammates to knock heads.

"Well this is one interesting way to wake–WHOA!"

"What?" the silver haired girl had reached over and grabbed one of Sasuke kunai knives and began to cut her way through the tangled mess.

"Hey Inara?" Naruto began rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"WHAT!" she snapped.

"I was just wondering why you were wearing Sasuke's clothes." the blonde Nin waited for a slap upside the head, it never came.

Another flash of light broke through the darkness, this time from a camera.

"SENSEI!" Yelled all three genin.

"What? It's called blackmail." replied the Jonin.

Inara rolled her eyes and cut the last bandage the holding her and Sasuke together, turning around she began to look for her own clothes. She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

The kunoichi turned around at gaze at very embarrassed Uchiha.

"Inara I know you're busy, but could I have my shirt back please?"

"Yeah sure hold on a sec." The Ayanomi pulled her head in to the shirt and emerged a few seconds later.

"On second thought...no not until you help me find something." her face was turning pink again.

"What the heck could you possibly lose in here?" Naruto asked.

Inara slapped herself in the head, "Okay I need you guys to help me find my bra."

A muffled laugh could be heard at the door, poor Kakashi was trying his best to keep quite.

"You don't get your shirt back until I find it." Inara ignored her teacher's perverted giggling.

"Hey Inara is this what you're looking for?" Naruto held up the object.

"BAKA!" she cried and pounced on Naruto knocking him to the floor, "Give me that!" the kunoichi snatched the cloth away before any one else could see it. Pulling her head and arms in to Sasuke shirt again she put the article of clothing back in its proper place. Upon finishing she whipped the shirt off and tossed it to Sasuke and began to dig through the closet to find her own shirt.

"GAH!" Sasuke face vaulted to the floor, a small trickle of blood flowed from his nose.

Inara turned to Naruto, "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

Naruto was facing away from her as was Kakashi.

"Have some shame woman!" shouted the blonde.

"What?" she asked locating her shirt and tugging it on over her head.

"I think what Naruto is trying to say," Kakashi explained his back was to her, " is to give us _men_ a chance to avert our eyes before you undress."

"Oops my bad."

"Yeah I'll say." Sasuke had recovered from his nosebleed attack.

A loud knock made everyone in the room jump, "Hey guys let me in!" It was Tazuna, "I've got great news."

Kakashi let the bridge builder in.

"Just what we need more useless information." Sasuke pulled on his clothing as Inara finished putting on hers.

Kakashi whapped the black haired Nin upside the head, "Ignore him, he's just crabby in the morning."

Inara opened her mouth to protest, Kakashi cut her off.

"As is the loud one." he teased.

The kunoichi folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

Tazuna was bursting at the seams, "I've come to tell you that the new bridge is finally finished!"

**"For an old one he certainly has a lot of energy."** Said Kasaki.

_Yeah well what can ya do? Now we can get out of this stinking place._

**"Hatchling how many times do I have to tell you to respect your elders?"**

_Let's see that was the 879__th__ time right? So only…a million more to go._

Inara felt the dragon move within the depths of her mind and begin to his is head on something. Inara stifled a laugh and began searching for her claymore.

AN: FINALLY IT'S OVER!! God I hated writing the whole "battle of the bridge" stuff. It got really boring. Anyway I have a couple of announcements…first off I will be getting a laptop in a few days here so my updates _might_ come quicker, second I would like to point out my most favorite scenes in this chap. The second scene with Inara and Sasuke in the white no where space is really good I don't care what you people think! The last one is the whole closet one…yeah a friend and I came up with that one night after drinking way too much Mt. Dew and staying up past midnight so…..no comment. And last but not least PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!! Thanks a bunch!

Ja ne

Anbu Warrior


	8. Chunin Exams

AN: I'm having so much trouble with my horse, she's just a witch! If you want me to tell you the details leave me a message on my page. Anyway as you can tell from the chapter title we're getting in to the Chunin exams…I'm gonna do things a little differently, not much so don't worry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto that's why it's called a Fan fiction…

AN: Oh I forgot to tell you, I wrote this whole chapter on my new Dell laptop! It works great so I should be updating quicker now, but then again maybe I won't. It's up to the Writers Blocks to decide.

Chunin Exams

Naruto opened his eyes to the bright sunshine in his face; it was going to be a nice day. Still dragging his feet, the blonde genin got up and ate his breakfast of hot ramen. Dressing in his usual orange and blue clothes he grabbed his Nin weapons and headed out the door.

He slammed the door open again, he had forgotten his Leaf headband. Running so he wouldn't be late, Naruto bolted down the street. Shouts of protest could be heard all around.

**Uchiha Mansion…**

Sasuke tossed and turned in his bed, a cold sweat drenched his hair and clothes causing them to stick to his well muscled body. Muttering in his sleep Sasuke thrashed his arms again.

_Blood coated the mansion as if someone had thrown buckets of it against the walls. Sasuke heard a diabolical laughter coming from a hallway in front of him, he ran towards it. The laughing grew louder more maniacal, he reached the door; it was soaked in warm blood. Forcing down the urge to vomit, Sasuke threw open the sliding door. His parents lay on the floor in a growing pool of their own blood. A shadow came up behind him, grabbed his shoulders and wrenched him around to face it. A pair of crimson eyes penetrated his soul. He tried to close his own eyes or at least block them from seeing the horrible pupils in front of his face, but he couldn't. He was frozen, at the mercy of who ever gripped his shoulders. The laughter grew louder and louder. _

_ "What will you do now little brother?" said the shadow, "you and I, we are the only ones left. Avenge them if you can little brother. Avenge them if you can."_

Sasuke woke with a start; it had all been a dream. Sweat was still pouring from his brow. When his breathing regulated he got out of bed. The Uchiha skipped breakfast, who could eat after a dream like that? He finished dressing for the day and quickly scribbled out a note to Inara. Selecting the fastest bird he had, Sasuke tied the scroll to its back; the black hawk took off through the window.

_ That raptor better not get lost again_. Sasuke thought to himself.

The last time he used the black bird of prey, it had gotten sidetracked by a dead hare; the message it was carrying was never delivered. It had taken him two days to find the bird after that. He returned to his room, strapped his kunai holder to his leg and grabbed the shuriken pouch. He had left his headband on, it felt strange not having the cool metal against his forehead. Taking care to lock the house up properly Sasuke slowly walk to the designated meeting place for the day.

**Apartment Complex…**

She could hear a quiet tapping on glass somewhere in her dreams, Inara chose to ignore it. The tapping stopped. A loud crash forced the kunoichi to open her eyes. Glass lay all over the floor in her small apartment, a black hawk started pecking at her headband.

"Ow ow ow STUPID BIRD!" she grabbed the raptor firmly by the neck and glared at it; the hawk glared back.

_ This is Sasuke's bird alright._ Inara relived the animal of its burden and threw it back out the broken window like a dart. She laughed as the bird hit a tree with a resounding thud.

_ Inara,_

_I'm going to be late today, so don't wait up. I'll meet you and the others later._

_Sasuke_

Inara rolled the scroll back up, "Again? Figures."

Ever since they had arrived back at the village, Sasuke had been acting strangely. He was training more and talking less. If he did have something to say he said it in scrolls.

"**Stop worrying hatchling, it's just a faze he's going through." **Kasaki reassured her.

_But still, this is kind of an awkward way to start a relationship._

Inara had no reason to change out of her clothes, she had fallen asleep in her usual black long sleeved shirt and cargo pants. Walking over to her dresser she put on her headband and grabbed her kunai and shuriken. Crawling on the floor, she reached under her bed and pulled out her claymore. The crimson sheath was dusty already from the lack of use.

"I haven't been able to wield you much have I Kunatsu?" she pulled the silver and copper blade from its sheath. The silver reflected the sunlight brilliantly; the copper colored blood channel was still a little stained from her last kill. Looking at the sheath itself, she could easily see the gold interlined with the red leather was tarnished.

"Nothing a little cleaner won't fix" Inara said sheathing the deadly weapon. She slung the sword over her shoulder so the strap lay across her chest. The pommel of the claymore was made from a light iron wrapped in two different kinds of leather, a light tan and a dark brown. Within the mass of animal skin was a dark blue sapphire, the gem was the only thing of value that the kunoichi owned. It now hovered ready to be grasped by her hand, over her left shoulder. Inara walked outside into an open space and bit her thumb to draw some blood.

**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (**Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu)

A puff of smoke cleared. A large buckskin horse with unusual tiger stripes appeared at Inara's side.

"Good morning Tenahei. Sleep well?" she asked the stallion patting him on the neck.

The horse turned to face her as she leapt on to his strong back, "Yes mistress, and thank you for your concern. Now where are we off to today?"

Inara gripped a fistful of black mane, "To the Academy school yard."

Tenahei charged forward, had anyone less of a rider been on his back, they would have toppled off into the dust.

Her horse's mane whipped her face as he easily avoided carts, people and other traffic in the busy morning streets. A few people stopped and stared in wonder at the white haired girl, horses were not a common sight to them, not to mention such an unusually colored one. Other people mostly merchants, shouted in displeasure as the stallion nearly collided with their cart of goods, but most of the villagers ignored her.

Inara preferred it that way.

Tenahei's crazy gallop became a gentle, laid back canter as the Academy yard came into view.

Inara could see Naruto chatting with three kids. She felt the horse slow even more to a trot then a walk.

A small boy with a scarf tied around his neck was yelling loudly, "But you promised that you would play Ninja with us Boss!" the other two, a boy and a girl, both wearing goggles on their foreheads nodded in agreement.

"Konohamaru I told you I can't! I've got training!" Naruto told the kids.

Inara cleared her throat.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH ITS THE DEMON GIRL RUN!" yelled Konohamaru. He and the other two bolted for safety.

_SLAM_ Konohamaru and the others ran into a dark object. The boy looked up at the thing he bumped into. A powerful had grabbed him by the front of his shirt and brought him up to eye level.

"That really hurt you little squirt." An older boy with purple marks on his face glared at the Academy student.

"I'm…sorry. It…was and accident…" choked the kid.

The older boy tightened his grip on Konohamaru's scarf, "You're going to pay for that you litt---HEY!"

Naruto jumped on the boy's back knocking him to the ground. Konohamaru now free of his tormenter's grip ran to hide behind Tenahei and Inara as she drew her sword.

"GET OFF ME!" the elder genin kicked Naruto in the ribs, sending him flying back towards Inara and the three Academy students.

A gust of wind stirred up dirt, sending it in to everyone's eyes. When they were able to see again, a blonde girl with an overly large fan had joined the older boy.

"That's enough Kankuro!" the girl growled.

"Sorry Temari, but you're not the boss of me." Said the purple faced Nin.

He took the object that had been sitting on his back off.

"You're going to use the Crow for something as pointless at this?" asked the blonde girl.

"You bet they pissed me off, now they have to pay the price."

Temari rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'm not responsible for anything that happens though."

Kankuro grinned; he was going to enjoy this. Naruto rushed forward again, punching the other older genin in the stomach.

The other boy sent him flying with a blow from the object; he advanced on the Leaf genin.

"Tenahei protect the runts!" Inara rushed forward slashing her sword toward Kankuro.

"This is going to be so much fu—OW WHAT THE HELL?! A rock the size of a ping-pong ball hit him in the head.

Inara stopped running.

Kankuro look in the direction of the attack, but saw no one. Another rock slightly bigger hit him from the opposite direction.

Inara sheathed her sword; it would have to go thirsty yet again, "Perfect timing, but what happened to being late today Sasuke?"

The Uchiha made himself visible, she had seen through his Gen Jutsu, "I changed my mind." He said sitting in a tree about ten feet above Kankuro's head.

Kankuro didn't like being made a fool of, "You son of a… OUCH!"

Sasuke had thrown his last rock at the offending genin, "You shouldn't use such language in front of small children."

"Alright that's it!" The purple faced genin formed some quick hand signs.

"KANKURO ENOUGH!" said a raspy voice from behind Sasuke.

Everyone looked towards the tree; a red haired boy about the same age as the Kahona genin hung upside down on a branch.

"You're a disgrace to our village Kankuro. I order you to stop this nonsense at once!" the boy leapt down from the branch.

Tenahei backed away from the foreign Nin with his ears pinned back against his head. Inara turned to her horse.

"Tenahei what's wrong boy?"

"Mistress I am sorry, but I cannot be here any longer… that human, there is something wrong with him. He's a predator thirsty for blood."

"It's alright… you can go."

With a bow of his head, the horse disappeared in the swirl of leaves.

_This guy must be trouble if Tenahei's scared of him._

"Who are you three and what the hell do you think you're doing in our village?" Inara glared at the foreigners.

Temari stepped forward, "Relax small fry we're here for the Chunin exams" she dug out of her pocket a small slip of paper, "We have permission, see?"

"That still doesn't give you the right to beat up our Academy students." said Naruto clenching and unclenching his fists.

"You…," Sasuke pointed to the red haired kid, "What's your name?"

A gentle breeze lifted the boy's hair off his forehead, revealing a tattoo the color of blood; it was sort of ironic that it read 'love'.

The boy stared at Squad Seven, "I am Gaara of the Desert and you are?

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, this is Inara Ayanomi," The Kunoichi narrowed her eyes even more; something was very familiar about these genin.

"And the orange baka over there in Naruto Uzumaki, don't worry you get used to him after a while."

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU SASUKE!" shouted the blonde Leaf Nin.

"Like he hasn't heard that one before. Naruto settle down please." Inara yawned, the confrontation had gotten boring.

"Well it was nice meeting you all but we really must dash. Come on guys." Temari and the boys disappeared in a cloud of dust.

**Conference Room…Hokage Tower… **

Iruka walked into a sunny room and sat down across from another man that was in the room.

"So how're our demons doing Kakashi?" he asked.

"Naruto gets along with Inara nicely, but Sasuke's another story, and Inara and Sasuke apparently just decided to start going out or something like that…so they get along…somewhat."

"Kakashi do me a favor and keep an eye on those two, for some reason I don't trust them." said Iruka

"You and me both, I'm almost positive one day they'll gang up on Naruto and beat the shit out him."

The Chunin gave the Jonin a blank stare.

"I was kidding Iruka. But Naruto's developing quite a bit faster than the others; I guess Sasuke helps out with that. Anyway he's trying to catch up to his hero…You."

A smile tugged on Iruka's features, "Oh well that's interesting."

**A Few Hours Later…**

All the Jonin that were the head of squads were gathered in a small room, the only exception was Iruka, he was there because the Hokage had asked him to be.

"Now you all know what we're here to discuss. One week from today on July first we will play host to this year's Chunin exams. Now then Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai, please step forward."

The instructors did as they were asked.

The Hokage continued, "Are there any among your teams that you recommend for this test? You may begin Kakashi."

The white haired Jonin brought a hand up in to his face forming a simple hand sign, "Squad Seven led by Kakashi Hatake, consists of, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Inara Ayanomi. I recommend all three of these genin for the Chunin exams."

Iruka took a sharp breath and blinked disbelievingly.

Kurenai went next then Asuma, their squads too were recommended for the exam.

Iruka was horrified, "Wait a minute! Lord Hokage if I may?"

"Please continue Iruka." said the Fire Shadow.

"The students just named were all my students at the Academy.

Asuma rolled his eyes, "Yes Iruka we are aware of that."

Iruka glared at the Jonin, "I know their all gifted but don't you think it's a little soon to be thrusting them into something as important and dangerous as this?"

"Don't be such a worry wart Iruka, I was six years younger than Naruto when I became a Chunin." said Kakashi in his laid back tone.

"NARUTO ISN'T ANYTHING LIKE YOU!" shouted the Chunin.

"Look I know this upsets you but they aren't you precious students anymore. They are warriors under the command of Lord Hokage."

Iruka wouldn't give up that easily, "Please Lord Hokage let me give them one final chance to test themselves before their even considered."

The old man gave the determined Shinobi a kind look, "Alright Iruka, you may give them one chance, but if they succeed you are no longer to interfere with their training understood?"

**Meanwhile… Academy School Yard…**

"Hey Konohamaru are you okay?" asked Naruto inspecting his friend for any sigh of injury.

"Naruto quit it I'm fine!" the boy pulled out of the genin's grasp.

Inara sighed, "Well we're all on time which means we're early what do you guys wanna do?"

"Boss you said you'd play Ninja with us! You promised!" shouted the Academy students.

"Alright alright sheesh. Sorry guys I gotta go play 'Ninja'" Naruto was already being dragged down the street by the three kids, "Hey you guys let go!"

Sasuke chuckled, Inara looked up at him. He had grown a little since their battle in the Land of Waves and now she had to tilt her head just to see his face.

"Well that takes care of them," said the Uchiha. He slid his arm around Inara's waist, "Now what are _we_ going to do?"

Inara heart was in her mouth, she still wasn't used to him doing that; she swallowed with some difficulty, "We could…go on a walk." she suggested.

Sasuke let go of her waist and took her hand instead, "Good idea."

An eagle let out a shrill cry, Inara and Sasuke looked up. Piece of paper fell in from of them. Sasuke picked it up,

_Sorry for the inconvenience but training is canceled for the day, so you guys are free to do whatever. I'll meet you at the bridge tomorrow same time._

_Kakashi_

_P.S. Bring any weapons or equipment that you will need for the day._

Sasuke crumpled up the paper and threw over his shoulder into a near by wastebasket.

"This day just keeps getting better and better." He said.

"Don't you think we should tell Naruto?"

"I'm not going after him, who knows were those kids have dragged him by now."

"You are so lazy." Inara teased punching Sasuke gently in the shoulder, drawing a kunai she slit her arm, rubbed the blood on her fingers and placed her hands on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" _(Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu)_ "Tenahei tell Naruto training is canceled for today but to meet Kakashi sensei at the bridge tomorrow at the same time."

The horse blew in her face, "Yes Mistress." The buckskin laid his ears back at Sasuke; Inara delivered the animal a sharp blow to the neck.

"Tenahei behave yourself!" she warned.

The stallion shook his mane a galloped off to deliver the message.

"Sorry about that, he thinks you're moving in on his territory heh heh" Inara laughed. Sasuke didn't find this funny.

The Kunoichi took the hint, "It won't happen again I promise." The Uchiha brought his fist down on Inara's head, just hard enough to make her wince.

"Come on I know just the place were we can spend the day." Sasuke gripped her hand tighter and took off toward the woods.

**Deep in the Woods…**

They had been running for quite some time now and Inara was beginning to tire. Panting heavily she stopped and sat down.

"How…much …further?" she asked.

Sasuke stopped, "Not far now, come on your feet." He pulled the girl up out of the dust.

Not much further had turned into another half an hour of running, just when Inara thought that the Uchiha had gotten them lost, they reached a sunny clearing surrounded by flowering trees. A quiet rumbling could be heard at one end of the meadow, it was a medium sized waterfall with a large pool at the base; the water was as clear a crystal. Smooth stones lay at the bottom of the pool; small fish could be seen swimming freely in their watery home.

Inara was taken aback. "Sasuke this is beautiful. How did you know this was here?"

"That's for me to know and for you to enjoy."

"Well I love it, it's so peaceful. Thank you for bringing me here." Inara wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, he returned the gesture.

"Inara stay here I'll be right back." Sasuke broke free of her embrace.

The Kunoichi was confused, "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry I'll be right back. Oh and don't go wandering you might get lost. Just stay in that spot."

Inara sat down showing him that she had no intention of leaving.

Sasuke ran towards the edge of the trees and turned around again, "I mean it don't move." He warned pointing a finger in Inara's direction.

"I'm not going anywhere, just go already!"

"Right." The black haired Nin leapt on to a tree branch and disappeared.

_It's such a nice day; I wonder what Sasuke's doing?_ Inara checked up on Kasaki, the demon dragon was asleep.

_Whew that's a good thing; he would have fit if he knew what I was doing now._

"Miss me?"

Inara jumped, Sasuke had returned with a large whicker basket. The white haired genin tilted her head to one side, "Where'd you get that?"

Sasuke opened the basket and took out a blanket, "Why do you think I was late today?"

Inara starred in disbelief. He had planned out the whole day, down to everything that they were going to eat.

She helped him set out the food; there certainly was a lot of it, three different flavors of rice, two kinds of ramen, a variety of meat, a salad, and a small cake were placed on the blanket.

Inara's mouth began to water, "You made all this yourself?"

Sasuke sat down and handed her a plate, "Yep, when you live by yourself for awhile you pick up on a few things."

"Well this is certainly better then what I could have made. It must have taken you hours."

Sasuke helped himself so some rice and meat, "Not really most of this stuff takes a few days to make, so everything's fresh." He noticed that the Kunoichi hadn't taken a bite, even if her plate was full.

"I didn't poison it you know." He said taking a bite of rice.

Inara snapped out of her little daydream, "Sorry, just thinking." She took a large forkful of salad.

Sasuke reached forward suddenly, "Be careful that…"

Inara's eyes began to water, her faced tuned a deep red.

"Might be spicy." The Uchiha finished, he threw the suffering girl some lemonade, "Here I don't know if this will help."

Inara snatched the drink thankfully and took a few large gulps before the "fire" was put out.  
The black haired Nin burst out laughing.

The female genin glared at him playfully.

"Oh you think that's funny do you? How about this!? She shoved him into the pool.

Water hit Inara's face as Sasuke hit the cold water, squeezing the excess liquid out her hair; she leaned over the edge of the pool. Dirt and algae was floated and swirled around in the water. Inara was getting concerned; Sasuke should have surfaced by now.

"Okay Sasuke very funny, you win,"

Not a ripple moved across the surface of the pool.

"Seriously quit joking around." Tension filled the air.

_Oh shit! Now what!? He should know how to swim for god's sake! _

The genin stood up at the edge of the water, "You had better hope you're drowning, because if you're not, you'll have wished you had!"

Inara dove into the icy water. Her brain went into temporary shock as the water soaked her cloths. The pain was intense; it was like being stabbed by the Senbon needles all over again.

Inara kept diving till she reached the bottom. She could barley see a dark figure through all the algae and dirt. Grapping the object she kick hard off the rocky bottom.

She broke the surface gasping for air, half throwing half dragging Sasuke's still form on to dry land.

The kunoichi laid him on his back and check his pulse, it was there. Breathing was next and it was absent.

_Aw man not good, think think think…what am I supposed to do now? _Her hear was racing with anxiety, she couldn't remember the lesson Kakashi had taught them on CPR.

_Was it check pulse, then rescue breaths or check pulse then clear the air way? OH FORGET IT!_

Vital seconds had been wasted in her futile attempt to remember a simple skill. After what to Inara seemed like hours, she finally decided her second choice was right…at least she hoped so.

Carefully placing her one hand on Sasuke's forehead and the other under his chin, she tilted his head back.

Inara gulped nervously, she couldn't believe she was doing this. Taking a deep breath, the Ayanomi pinched the boy's nose shut so now air would escape and placed her mouth over his. As she exhaled she felt a hand push her forward even more, turning her rescue breath in to a kiss. Inara broke contact.

"SASUKE YOU JERK! I THOUGH YOU MMFF" The Uchiha cut her off.

"You talk too much." Said Sasuke removeing his lips from hers.

**Meeting Place…Next Day…**

As usual all three genin where at the bridge on time and Kakashi was late.

"Morning guys, sorry I'm late, I got lost on the path of life."

"YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR!" exploded his students.

"Yeah well I'm the teacher and I can show up whenever I want."

The students clenched their fists, "Wanna bet?!" Naruto growled.

Kakashi help up a hand signaling that he wanted peace, "Any way I don't know if you've head but the Chunin exams start today."

Images of yesterdays encounter with the foreign Nin flashed through Inara's mind, oh she remembered alright.

"Well since you've shown great progress during the last mission, I recommended you."

Three jaws hit the dirt.

"I know, I know, big surprise; but you guys deserve it. Here are the application forms, be sure to turn them in at room 301 by 4:00. The whole exam is voluntary of course. You don't have to part take if you don't want to. That's all." Kakashi disappeared in his signature swirl of leaves.

"SWEET! SIGN ME UP!" shouted Naruto.

_This might be my chance to fight that creepy kid with the eyeliner._ Sasuke thought.

Inara stared at the black application,_ finally something interesting, dad did say he wanted me to get stronger…I guess this is what he meant. _

**"Excellent hatchling, this test is just what you've been needing. You've grown quieter lately…is something wrong?"**

_No Kasaki I'm fine_.

**"Are you sure because I could…"**

_YES I'M FINE? WHAT IS THIS? 20 QUESTIONS?_

Inara felt a gentle punch in the small of her back, it was Sasuke, Naruto had run off in his excitement to fill out the application.

"You gonna do it?" he asked holding up the paper.

The Kunoichi look at her feet, she wasn't as strong as Sasuke and Naruto.

"Hey you okay?" the Uchiha took her chin in his hand, and tilted it up so Inara had no choice but look into his black eyes.

She sighed.

"Kakashi did say it was voluntary, you don't have to put yourself through this." The black haired Nin reassured her.

"Yes I do… my father said that he wanted me to train and be the best I could be…so I could help him when he came back for me." Inara sighed again, deeper. "And I promised you that when the time came, I would move on."

Sasuke looked at Inara, studying her carefully. Was this the same air headed girl that shoved him into an icy pool yesterday just to get revenge?

"I've made up my mind… I'm going to do it…for you and Naruto, for my father, and for myself." Inara's eyes flashed with determination.

Sasuke smiled; there was the Inara he knew. Wrapping his arm around her, the Uchiha drew her to him; "I'm glad…" he broke the embrace, "and lighten up damn it!" He brought his fist down on her head.

Inara laughed, "I'm sorry, things of the past should remain in the past." She looked up into Sasuke's eyes again.

"For now let's just concentrate on passing this exam with top marks…Just like old times."

"Yeah but this time you can't pass by sleeping through the whole thing." The Uchiha turned tail and ran towards the training grounds.

** "3…2…1…"**

"INARA!!!!!" Sasuke's angry voice reached her ears.

_Kasaki what did you do?_

**"Two words, rope trap."** Laughed the dragon.

_Not again!_

"Coming Sasuke, and just to let you know I didn't do it!" she yelled running to help her teammate.

An: ok I just had to add that last part…it was getting way too serious for my taste. Anyway that was my first romance scene; I have many others to write but I would like to know how I did. I've been receiving a lot of messages lately saying that I made Naruto really weak…I'm sorry I didn't do it on purpose.. But I promise he gets better during the Chunin exam. Oh and another issue I would like to address is Inara is _**NOT**_ me is this story… she may be a figment of my imagination but that doesn't mean she is me. She is way too cool to be me. Oh great I just dissed myself, oh well.

P.S. I might not be updating for a while because I can't seem to get a hold of Naruto volume 5 just yet from the library. So I'll try again next week. I made this chapter really long to make up for the possible lateness.


	9. Old Friends and New Aquaintences

An: Ok lately I've been getting a lot of very rude messages saying how bad my story is. I have one thing to say to anyone who doesn't like it….QUIT READING IT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT! DON'T COMPLAIN TO ME!!! Ok now that I got that out of my system, another issue is people are complaining that I made Naruto really weak, please people I know this and I didn't do it on purpose! It's going to work out soon so please just drop it! The very last thing I would like to say is that I've gotten some people who want something to happen between Kasaki and Kyuubi, FOR THE LAST TIME DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! IT WILL BE DONE! Maybe not in this chapter or the next but hold your pants on! Jeez I can only to so much at a time. Alright now that that's settled ON WITH THE STORY!

Disclaimer: Kishimoto –sensei is letting be borrow these characters and bits of the story so give him the credit not me.

**Old Friends and New Aquaintences**

"_Kyuubi! I challenge you to a fight! Winner gets the title of strongest demon; the loser has to become the tool of a human." _

_A feral grin spread across the Fox's muzzle, "Alright Kasaki I accept your challenge, but let's make it a little more interesting, this shall be a fight to the death!" _

_Kasaki smirked, "I agree to your terms, TO THE DEATH!"_

"_TO THE DEATH!" Kyuubi sprang forward, teeth bared in a vicious smile._

_Blue and white fingers of electricity burst from Kasaki's mouth, the demon fox side stepped neatly._

"_You missed…My turn!" Claws caught the dragon in his blind spot sending him sprawling in the dirt._

"_You're going to have to try better than that little dragon." Kyuubi mocked._

_Shaking his head to clear the mist, Kasaki inhaled; blaze orange flames singed the Foxes coat, but nothing more._

_"Is that all you got?" the orange Fox tilted his head, "Let me show you what true power is!" flicking one of his nine tails, a boulder the size of a jet, slammed into the black dragon's side. _

_Blood dripped to the ground like a warm rain, Kasaki lay on his side, his breathing labored. _

_"I win Kasaki-teme; your death shall be long and painful." Kyuubi dragged a clawed paw across Kasaki's fragile wings, tearing them to shreds. _

_The dragon roared in agony, the pain was like nothing he had felt before._

_The Fox withdrew his paw; Kasaki's blood dripped off his claws "How disappointing I thought you would serve more of a challenge, no matter. SAY GOOD-BYE TO EVERYTHING YOU ONCE HELD DEAR!" The claws came again, breaking the hollow bones in the black demon's wings; flight would now be impossible. _

_Kasaki felt cold teeth close around his neck, he struggled but it was no use, the more he resisted the longer his death would take. _

_With a quick jerk of his head, Kyuubi let his victim's neck fall to the sand, torn and bleeding._

_"You caught me on a good day Kasaki, had it been different I would have killed you on the spot; but today I'll leave the elements to do the work for me." Kicking sand into Kasaki's eyes, the demon Fox left the black dragon to rot in the blazing afternoon sun._

_The demon closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He lay there lost in his thoughts, why had he been so stupid! Challenging the nine-tailed demon Fox, when he himself was only a seven-tail. _

_"I guess…wisdom…comes with age…" Kasaki's breathing became shallower. After three days of non-stop hell, the dragon felt a cool hand on his torn neck._

_"I have been searching for you demon; I have a proposition that you can't refuse."_

_The voice was smooth and oily, the dragon opened one eye, his vision was failing but he could just make out the figure of a man with long hair._

_"What…sort…of…proposition?" he gasped._

_"Take shelter inside my daughter, you can live and heal; but in return you must make her strong, teach her to wield the elements, as you can. What do you say?_

_Kasaki thought, if the prospect of living was there he would take it, then maybe one day he could fight the Fox again._

_"I…accept." A black head hit the sand._

_"Excellent. You won't be sorry." The man smiled and stood up, his mission had been successful._

**Present Day Kahona…**

"**And that's what happened, the whole story…"**

_But why would you want to challenge that stupid fox anyway? _Inara asked in her mind.

"**I was young at the time and wanted to prove myself… turns out fighting a stronger demon wasn't the best idea.**

_I'll say… so that's when my father…well you know… and when my village was destroyed?_

"**Unfortunately yes, that's when your destiny started to unfold hatchling."**

_Why me? Why did it have to be my village that was destroyed? Why am I the only one left alive?_

Inara felt the dragon wrap his battle scarred wings around her consciousness.

"**I don't know little one, our paths sometimes are chosen for us, but it's what we make of them that decides the future."**

**Later That Day…**

_SLAM!_ A boy with black hair dressed in green hit the wall.

"You honestly think you can enter the Chunin exams?" another boy with bandages across his nose, picked up the greed clad Nin by the collar of his shirt.

"Come on you jerks let us in!" a brown haired girl in a Chinese style shirt protested. The other boy blocking the door to the classroom slapped her across the face knocking her to the floor.

"HEY YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" yelled another genin.

The boy with the bandages looked the offending kid in the eye.

"You misinterpret our actions; we're simply trying to weed out the weaklings now, so they won't have to suffer."

The other boy nodded his head, "These exams aren't for that faint hearted, we should know; we've failed it three times."

"Well this certainly looks fun." Heads turned in the direction the voice had come; Sasuke and the others had arrived.

Inara folded her arms across her chest, "Can someone explain to me just what the hell we're all doing on the _second_ floor?"

Murmurs filled the hall.

"So you saw through the Jutsu huh?" asked the bandaged Nin.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Of course, an Academy student probably set it up; it's so poorly done, and you two can drop the illusion as well; you're not really genin."

The boys dropped the Gen Jutsu, returning to their normal form.

Everyone but Squad Seven's jaws dropped to the ground. Two Chunin now blocked their path to the classroom.

"Not bad, you guys can go through." The Gen Jutsu users left the small hallway.

_So their Kakashi's? He's trained them well, but will they pass the exam proctor's standards?_

Inara let her hands fall to her sides, "Well now that that's over, where's the fricken staircase?"

Her teammates sweat dropped.

"What? It's been awhile since we've been here."

Kakashi's squad made to leave when an older boy with white eyes stepped in their way.

"What are your names?" his voice was cold and harsh, it sent chills down Inara's neck.

All the introductions were beginning to wear the Uchiha's patience thin, "Isn't it proper manners to give your own name first?"

"You got some nerve talking to your seniors like that. You're all first years aren't you?"

Naruto glared at the white eyed boy, "We don't have to tell you a damn thing, you freak show."

The white eyed genin growled, a hand rested on his shoulder, "Neji don't, their just a bunch of snot-nosed kids." Said the brown haired girl.

Inara spun around, "What did you just call us?" her voice was lowered; it sounded more like a snarl than actual words. The older girl's ears picked it up nevertheless.

"I said you're nothing but a bunch of snot-nosed, assholes."

Inara's hands balled up in to fists, Sasuke grabbed her by the shoulders; he knew what the Kunoichi was capable of when provoked.

"Inara calm down. You're letting your emotions control you again."

The Ayanomi broke free of her boyfriend's grip, _no one _other than her teammates, insulted her and lived to tell about it.

"THAT'S IT!" Inara brought her leg up to hopefully break the other girl's jaw. If she succeeded, death would be slow and painful. _(Broken jaws meant you can't eat, can't eat, you die…very slowly) _

A flash of green darted between the opposing females. When the blur was still, a black haired boy had hold of both Inara's leg and the other girl's hand, in it was a freshly sharpened kunai that Inara had failed to see.

**"Hatchling that child blocked your attack!"**

_Thank you for pointing that out Captain obvious. Hold on, there's something weird about this guy's chakra._

**"What is it?"**

_I can't put my finger on it just yet, but something is defiantly abnormal about him._

"Tenten I thought we agree that we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves?"

The girls wrenched their limbs free of the green clad boy's hands.

"Sorry Lee just got carried away."

Team Seven rolled their eyes; this exam was turning into a freak show. They turned to leave when the one called Lee grabbed Sasuke's shoulder.

"You're Sasuke Uchiha aren't you?"

Sasuke brushed Lee's hand off his shoulder, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

The green spandex clad genin smiled, "My name is Rock Lee and I challenge you to a fight!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "You know who I am and you still want to fight me?"

"I am confident in my abilities, you cannot defeat me."

"Ok then, it's your funeral."

**Entrance Hall…Same Day…**

"I still can't believe you're going to do this Sasuke. I know he doesn't look like much, but there's something really weird about that guy, I can sense it."

"Inara relax, no freak with a bowl cut is going to beat me, got it?"

The Ayanomi sighed, once Sasuke's mind had been made up, there was no swaying it. She quickly gave up on the argument.

A flash of green brought the Team Seven's attention to the balcony above their heads.

Lee was standing on the rail with his hands on his hips, he jumped down. It was quite the fall, however the spandex wearing genin landed on his feet.

Inara turned to Sasuke, "Okay you can't possible think that's normal."

The Uchiha glared at her.

Putting up her hands, the Ayanomi signaled she didn't want any trouble.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Sasuke walked towards the center of the room to meet Lee.

Naruto acted as referee, "Alright you two, I want a clean fight! No cheap shots! Begin!" the blonde brought his arm down, starting the match and quickly dashed away.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan; no freaky kid was going to make a fool of him.

He looked towards Lee, but the green Nin had vanished.

Quick movement caused the black haired boy to look behind him, big mistake.

"**Kanoha Daisenpu!**" (Leaf Hurricane) Lee's attack knocked Sasuke off his feet.

_What the hell was that? Did he? That's impossible!_

The blur of green stopped moving, "Your eyes may able to keep up with me…but your body can't, for example." The older boy took off again, running around a dumfounded Uchiha.

_I can see him but I can't move fast enough!_

"**Kanoha Senpu!**" (Leaf Whirlwind) A leg crashed into Sasuke's chest, throwing him against a wall.

Lee took a Tai Jutsu stance, "I'll say it again, you cannot defeat me."

Panting heavily, the Sharingan wielder struggled to his feet.

The Tai Jutsu master raised an eyebrow, "Haven't you had enough? You've got courage, I'll give you that."

Sasuke smirked, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) five Sasuke's surrounded the green clad Nin.

Naruto's jaw dropped, "When did he learn that?"

"He must have copied it when you were fighting Haku." said Inara.

Lee looked from one clone to the next, which one was the real Sasuke?

"**Kanton: Gokakyo no Jutsu!**" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu) Flames burst forth from every direction.

_HA there's no way he could have escaped that!_ Thought the Uchiha.

"**Kanoha Sofue!**" (Leaf Rising Wind) Lee had dodged the fire attack at the last second. With a powerful kick under the jaw, he sent his opponent skyward.

"**Kage Buyo!**" (Dancing Leaf Shadow)

Using his speed to his advantage, the green genin flashed underneath Sasuke's airborne figure; with a series of punishing kicks and punches, sent the other boy smashing onto the concrete floor.

Lee landed neatly on his feet, "Now to finish this!"

"LEE THAT'S ENOUGH!" a purple tortoise entered the hall.

"Sensei? What're you doing here? You were watching the whole time?"

Naruto looked at Inara, "Did I miss something here?"

"I'm as lost as you are…" said the Kunoichi.

Their attention was drawn back to the student and "teacher."

"What did I tell you about using that Jutsu?" scolded the reptile.

"But…but I… I'm sorry sensei." Lee hung his head in shame.

"You should be, now I have to punish you." In a cloud of smoke the tortoise disappeared and a green spandex dressed man emerged.

_Oh my god, he's even creepier than the kid!_ Thought Inara.

Teacher and student looked exact copies of each other, black bushy eyebrows, bowl cut hair style, and really, really white teeth, it was some what unnerving.

"Are you ready for your punishment Lee?" Asked the Jonin.

"YES SIR!" the boy saluted.

_WHAM!_

Naruto and Inara sweat dropped, as the green Jonin punched his student so hard, he flew across the room.

The Kunoichi leaned toward her teammate, "Maybe that's why he's so messed up."

The blonde fought the urge to laugh but his expression turned to disgust when his attention was brought back to the sensei and pupil.

In a display of affection that two males, not to mention teacher and student should ever partake in, Lee and the Jonin hugged each other as an awkward background of a beach blazed behind them.

The blonde and white haired genin heard a groan of discomfort; Sasuke had recovered from his black out.

The Uchiha's teammates helped him to his feet.

"Nice work with the shadow clones, I wouldn't have thought of trying that." the girl complemented.

"Shut up." Sasuke was in a sour mood.

"You three must be Kakashi's squad." Said the spandexed Jonin.

"And if we are?" Naruto folded his arms across his chest in a display of defiance.

The Jonin laughed, "Yep you're the ones alright, I've heard a lot about you kids."

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Sasuke growled.

"Kakashi and I go way back," the man vanished, "You could say we're rivals." He reappeared again behind Team seven.

_His speed, he's even faster than Busy Brow!_ Thought Naruto.

"The name's Might Guy…Guy for short."

Inara covered he mouth to prevent herself from laughing, her face was disfigured with the effort; Guy didn't notice, but Lee did.

"Don't you dare laugh at Sensei!" he warned turning a bright shade of red.

Guy put is arm around his students shoulder, "It's alright Lee, we need to be going anyway. You can't ignore your training."

Lee beamed, "YES SIR!" he shouted saluting the Jonin again.

They left the hall.

Inara blinked a few times to try and make sense of the whole ordeal.

_If Kakashi was like that, I'd kill him just to put him out of his misery._

"Inara you coming?"

"Huh?"

Naruto and Sasuke were headed out the door, "Come on it's time's almost up and we still have to get to the third floor."

"Coming!" she ran after them.

**Third Floor...**

Kakashi stood outside of the designated classroom. He sighed and looked at the clock on the wall.

_They have five more minutes. What the heck could possibly be taking them so long? _

Leaning up against the door, the former ANBU sighed and looked at the clock again… three more minutes.

_Were Izumo and Kotetsu too much for them?_

Running footsteps reverberated down the hall.

_I'm rubbing off on those three._

Kakashi's students skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Sorry…we're late…Sensei." Naruto gasped.

The Jonin smiled, "It's alright. I'm glad the three of you came. Go on in."

The teammates stepped toward the door.

"A word of caution before you do… don't draw attention to yourselves."

"Why not?" asked Sasuke.

"Not many people are too happy about first year genin entering the Chunin exams, so watch your backs okay?"

Inara rolled her eyes, "Sure Sensei."

Kakashi slid open the door, the three genin walked in. The din coming from the room was so loud Inara couldn't hear Kasaki muttering something about the exams no longer being an invitation only event.

"Well well well look who finally showed up." A boy wearing a grey jacket with a white dog on his head sauntered up to them. Following not far behind was a black haired girl with white eyes, and a brow haired boy in a trench coat and sunglasses.

"Hey Kiba, long time no see!" Naruto held up his hand.

The boy with the dog on his head mimicked Naruto's movements; they gave each other a high five.

Hinata blushed a deep pink, her eyes fixed on the two boys. Inara noticed and laughed.

The white-eyed girl pushed her fingers together, "Um…hi guys…it's been awhile."

The Ayanomi jumped at the chance to talk, "Yeah it has! So what have you guys been up to?"

"Nothing much," said the boy with sunglasses, "Everything's been unusually quiet."

Kiba smacked they boy on the back of the head, "Ignore Shino you guys, he's just a stick in the mud. So was up with you guys?"

"Ah same old, almost dying kind of thing, nothing important." Said Naruto.

The other team's jaws dropped.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ALMOST DIED?" shouted Kiba.

Naruto slapped his hand over the other boy's mouth, "Shut up do you want the whole village to know?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly, "I think it's a little late for that."

Naruto looked around the room; everyone was staring at them, most with narrowed eyes.

Inara placed her hands on her hips, "So much for not drawing attention to ourselves. Thanks Kiba."

"Forry." Muttered the boy through Naruto's hand.

The blonde released his grip.

Kiba's dog started growling and barking angrily.

"What is it Akumaru?" Kiba asked the canine. Akumaru yipped and growled.

"No way… Are you sure?"

The dog glared at his master.

"Okay, okay. He wants to know if you guys know that guy behind you." He pointed to an older boy with cropped white hair that reached to the bottom of his ears; the rest was tied back with a piece of string. A pair of circular glasses framed his face.

Team Seven looked behind them, "Nope never seen him." said Naruto

Inara stole another look over her shoulder, the boy's teammates glared at her. The Kunoichi quickly averted her gaze.

Sasuke took her hand.

She smiled at him, he nodded back.

"OH MY GOD SASUKE IS THAT YOU?" said a shrill voice that the black haired boy recognized immediately.

The Uchiha dropped Inara's hand and gave his teammates a just-shoot-me look. Too late, Ino Yamanaka threw her thin arms around Sasuke's neck, ginning happily.

An angry pink haired girl followed.

_Oh this is just great, what're they doing here?_ Inara thought narrowing her eyes.

"INO PIG JUST WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" yelled Sakura.

"I was here first Billboard Brow!" Ino complained.

Inara bared her teeth, "Do we have to go through this every time I see you two?"

The two girls stopped fighting and glared at Inara.

"Well I see someone hasn't changed much." Ino sneered.

"I can see you're still not fully developed yet Inara." Sakura teased.

Inara smirked, "That's funny coming from someone who's as flat as a boy."

Sakrua's mouth dropped disgusted, Ino burst out laughing, still clinging to the back of Sasuke's neck.

The Ayanomi turned her fury to her next victim, "What're you laughing at Ino? You better let go of Sasuke before you break his back with your weight."

The blonde girl stopped laughing, Inara continued her attack.

"Don't you think it's about time to lay off the sweets? Looks like you've gained ten pounds since I've last seen you."

The girl's face dropped; did she really look that big? Ino let go of the Uchiha's neck.

Sasuke stepped over to Inara's side and slipped his arm around her waist. If this didn't stop the argument, nothing would.

Sakura and Ino's eyes widened with horror.

"Sasuke…you can't be…I mean…you not…are you?" Sakura stammered.

"You're kidding right?" Ino was almost beside herself with sorrow.

Inara slid her arms around her boyfriend's torso and rested her head against his shoulder.

A loud bang of a door being slammed open caused everyone to jump violently. A tall man in a black trench coat, wearing a black bandana around his head entered the room.

Several other adults followed him inside and sat in the vacant chairs that lined the outer edges of the room. They all wore similar grey clothing along with their headbands, which identified them as Kahona ninja.

"EVERYONE FIND A SEAT!" yelled the man. His voice bounced off the wall of the small room.

The exam participants scrambled every which way to find a spot to sit before they evoked the anger of the tall man.

A few seconds later everybody was seated, most of the teams had been separated in the scramble, including Squad seven.

Naruto had found a seat next to a blushing Hinata, Inara sat among some unknown genin, and Sasuke was next to Shikamaru.

The tall man turned to face all the genin, revealing thick, jagged scars running diagonally across the side of his face.

Some of the students began gasped. The exam proctor glared at them.

"My name is Ibiki Morino and I will be your proctor for the first part of the Chunin exams. If there are any of you who do not wish to be here I suggest that you leave now." Ibiki's face remained emotionless as a few students left their seats.

"I see… will the teammates of the individuals please stand up."

Eight more genin rose to their feet.

"Get out." hissed the proctor.

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" shouted an enraged boy.

A kunai imbedded itself near the boy's hand.

One of the proctors dressed in grey, grinned slyly.

"Oh didn't we mention that this is a _team_ effort? If one of you quits, you all quit. If one of you fails the written test, you all fail. Get the picture?"

The eight genin were herded out of the room, they had failed the Chunin exams before it had even started.

Ibiki gave an irritated sigh, "Thank you Izumo for clearing that up. Now the rules for the test are quite simple-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN "WRITTEN TEST"?" shouted Naruto raising his hand.

"_If you would allow me to explain, this whole thing would go much smoother!_" growled the scarred man.

Naruto put his hand down.

"Good, now this list of rules will explain everything, so no more questions understood?"

Another proctor passed out a sheet of paper to every exam participant.

1.Each team starts out with 30 points, 10 points per member. These points will be removed if any of the rules are broken. If one teammate loses all 10 points that member will be disqualified along with the other members of the team.

2.Do not under any circumstances let any of the proctors catch you cheating; if you are caught two points will be deducted from your total amount of points.

3.Answer all nine questions to the best of your abilities. For every answer you get wrong a point will be taken away.

4.There will be a tenth question at the end of the main exam; this question will be the tie breaker of any teams that produce an equal score. Your score will decide your positions for the next phase of the Chunin exams.

5.You will be given exactly one hour to answer the problems, and remember _DO NOT TEMPT YOURSELF TO CHEAT! IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! _

Inara set the paper down,_ my god can they possibly think of any more rules?_

"**It's probably just so they can cut the weaklings out…like those two boys you encountered earlier."**

_Yeah I guess…but they didn't mention anything about using your inner demon to give you the answers._

"**Oh no hatchling! Don't even think about it."**

_Come on Kasaki! You've been around for like 2,000 year now! You've gotta know __**something**__ about this test._

"**Just because I'm a few centuries old doesn't mean that I pay attention to what you humans are doing. It's no concern of mine."**

Inara smirked to herself, _Gee that's too bad, what would my father think if he knew that you refused to help his daughter to get stronger, after he so generously donated her to be forever at your mercy?_

"**Touché, alright you got me. But I'm not just going to give you the answers; you'll have to come up with most of them on your own."**

_I knew you'd see it my way._

"**I hate you, you do know that right?"**

_Duh, but you can't live without me… so what're you going to do?_

"**Something I haven't done in a very long time."**

_And that would be?_

"**Throw a bit of a fit and complain."**

_Kasaki a few hours isn't a long time._

"Remember you only have one hour. The tenth question will be revealed then. Are there any other questions?" Ibiki scanned the room, no one dared to raise their hand.

Inara looked down, in front of her lay a large sealed envelope.

"Alright BEGIN!"

Everyone in the room jumped. The sound of paper seals being broken filled the room.

Pulling out the test packets, the Chunin exams began.

AN: AW MAN I had to cut this one off, it was just getting too long.

I FINALLY HIT MY 1000 MARK!! (Skips around room happily) In honor of this grand event I will be answering any questions that you have about the story, any that you're little brains can think of as long as they have to do with the story. Please treat this opportunity with great care because I won't be doing this again for quite some time. Until next time JA NE!


	10. Challenge

AN: Okay I don't have much to report back on this week so… yeah… sorry if this chapter took so long (stupid daily/social life)

Disclaimer: This is so retarded. I'm sure all you people know by now that I did not create Naruto or any other of its characters, so why do I have to depress myself by saying it? Oh yeah, because if I don't, not only will I get kicked off the site but I'll also have lawyers nipping at my heels like hound dogs.

**Challenge **

**Class Room…Chunin Exams First Test…**

The sound of paper seals being ripped open filled the room. All exam participants pulled out a small test packet.

Inara stared down at the paper,_ well here goes everything_. She picked up the pencil in front of her and read the first question.

How long does it take a normal Shinobe to learn a Master level Jutsu?

_What the hell? What kind of question is that? I don't remember studying this! _The kunoichi gave an irritated sigh. An elbow nudged her sharply in the ribs, the girl sitting next to her glared dangerously.

Inara mouth an apology, _all right if simple tree climbing took us three days, then a Master level should take us about…_ The math was complicated but the Ayanomi figured it out in the end, _Three years!_

"**Excellent hatchling, see you don't need my help."**

_We'll see about that. Now on to question number two._

A few rows back, Sasuke wasn't having as much luck as Inara was. He tapped his pencil on the desk rapidly.

_Okay this is going to be a little more difficult than I thought,_ he gazed up at the clock; five minutes had passed which meant only fifty-five remained.

The black haired boy growled inaudibly. A faint scratching on a clipboard reached his ears. He looked for the source of the noise. A few chairs in front of him, he saw a foreign kid clearly cheating off his neighbors paper.

_Looks like he got busted._ Sasuke averted his gaze back to his own test before he too was caught sight seeing.

Naruto was in the very front of the room clutching his head between his hands,_ Oh man Oh man Oh man why did it have to be a written test! Why? GRR I hate tests!... Okay what did Iruka sensei say to do if I ever had trouble? _

He thought back to his academy days. Iruka was standing in the middle of the classroom, "This is just a simple quiz to see if you've been paying attention. If you get stuck on one question, work on the others."

Naruto's mind snapped back to reality, _Eureka that's it! I'll just skip this one. _

If your sitting half way up a fifty foot tree and your intended target is standing 100 meters from the base of said tree, how much chakra do you need to store in your arm to hit the target when you threw the kunai?

Naruto's face fell,_ THAT'S EVEN HARDER THAN THE LAST ONE!_ The blonde scanned the test, reading all the problems carefully.

_Their all harder that the first one! Oh great I'm so dead._

Another paper pushed its way over towards his field of vision. Naruto looked next to him; Hinata's face was a deep red, "Y-you can…um…c-copy off me…if you want…I-I don't mind." She whispered.

"Huh? Thanks Hinata," Naruto whispered back. The Uzumaki adjusted himself so he could clearly see the blushing girl's answers but also he wouldn't be suspected of cheating.

Glancing over quickly Naruto had barley read the first answer when a kunai was sent whizzing past his head.

"YOU!" shouted a proctor; he pointed his finger in Naruto's direction.

"Me?" the blonde pointed at himself.

"No the one behind you." The proctor got to his feet and made his way over to a dark haired boy.

"Get out of here, you and your squad members."

"WHAT WHY?" yelled the accused boy.

"You've used up all your points by cheating, get out, or do you need help finding your feet?"

The team got up and walked out of the room grumbling, one of the boy's teammates hit him upside the head, "You let yourself get caught baka."

Another proctor closed the large doors behind them.

Naruto's heart was pounding,_ and to think, that could have been me! That's it, no cheating no matter how bad this test gets._

"Sorry Hinata, but I think I figure this out on my own."

"Are you sure?" said the girl a little too loudly, she was shushed by a girl sitting next to her.

"Yeah I'm sure, thanks any way though."

Hinata nodded and returned her attention back to her own test.

Inara scratched her head, she hated math problems, and it was never her strong point. The girl chewed her lower lips until it began to bleed; she gave an irritated sigh as she wiped the blood away.

**"Hmm…These humans are smart. Alright if it helps hatchling, try reducing the numbers so their more…friendly and then multiply your answer by how ever many you reduced it by when you're finished."**

Inara slapped her self in the forehead,_ Of course! Thanks Kasaki._

Sasuke finished the problem he had been working on, gazing up at the clock he saw that there was only a half an hour left and he was still on the third problem. The Uchiha growled looking down at his paper again. _If they didn't want us to cheat then why not just disqualify us if we were caught? _His head snapped up, that was it, they wanted them to cheat. _Hmph. Idiots._ The genin activated his Sharigan to copy the movements of the boy in front of him.

Naruto chewed on the end of his pencil. He looked at the clock again, twenty-five minutes remained. The blonde sighed; _everything hangs on that last question. If I don't get that_, _it'll be my fault we failed. Inara might understand, but Sasuke? He'll murder me. Come on focus, focus. _

As Naruto thought about himself being killed by his own teammates, more and more squads were being ushered out of the room for losing their points. Only about ten teams remained. Ibiki smiled to himself,_ their dropping like flies, not much longer now._

**With Kakashi…**

The Jonin sat reading his book in a well light room; incidentally it was the same one that he and Iruka had been in when they had their discussion. After completing another chapter, Kakashi closed his book. He looked over at the clock that ticked quietly on the wall;_ well this is one way to torture the impatient._ He thought. Low grumblings could be heard coming from the hallway

_Ibiki must really be bringing the whip down. I wonder how Naruto's doing; he never was good at tests. _His thoughts wandered when he had first agreed to teach the unusual group of orphans. Sasuke was the top of the class but that was to be expected of the heir to the famous Uchiha clan. Inara had done okay not bad and not good either. Her scores _had_ been higher than the others girls in her class.

_Probably too busy drooling over boys._ Thought the Jonin laughing to himself. Naruto's had been the worst he had ever seen as a Jonin.

_Sure he makes up for it in fighting, but Shinobi without a brain might as well not be a Shinobi at all. Nothing a little training can't fix._

**Classroom… **

"Pencils down. Time's up!" shouted one of the proctors. Pencils hitting desktops echoed throughout the room. Ibiki vacated the chair he had been occupying, "Alright we're going to go through the scores and we'll decide who may or may not continue. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves, _quietly_!" He and the other proctors left the room. Everyone in the classroom immediately relaxed.

Inara got up to rejoin her squad. She found them gathered in one corner of the room, out of the other participants' field of attention.

"So how'd you guys do?" she asked.

"Fine I guess; I copied the guy in front of me with my Sharingan. It was child's play." Sasuke remarked leaning casually up against the wall. "What about you dobe? How'd you score?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously, _Oh man this is it, their going to kill me I just know it!_ "Oh um…I didn't write anything down." The blonde quickly brought his arms up to block any physical attack aimed for his head, one never came.

Inara's jaw hung in mid-air, "You mean you didn't put down a single answer?"

Sasuke shook his head, "Nice one baka, now we'll be disqualified for sure."

Naruto hung his head, "I'm sorry, I've never been good at tests you guys should know that by now."

Inara was sympathetic, "Its okay Naruto, there's always next year, and tell you what; I'll even help you study how about that?"

"Really?" the Uzumaki's head snapped up. "Thanks Inara!"

"Heh heh, no biggy," said the Kunoichi waving her arms in front of her, "but it would be better if _Sasuke_ taught you…his grades were better than mine."

Naruto looked at the Uchiha hopefully.

"No fricken way."

"Come on Sasuke _PLEASE_!" Inara pleaded.

The raven haired genin's face remained passive, "Maybe when all Hell freezes over."

Inara stomped her foot, "OH you can be such a jerk!" she turned to her frowning blonde friend, "Don't worry Naruto you'll have me and Kakashi sensei to teach you."

The blonde genin smiled, "Yeah okay, it'll be great!" Naruto returned to his seat.

Inara watched him go, then whirled on Sasuke, temper flaring.

"What the hell is your problem?" she almost shouted.

"What?"

"Why won't you help him? The gods know he needs it!"

Sasuke sighed, "Why do you _want_ to help him?"

The white haired girl glared at him, "Because he's my friend and friends help each other! But I wouldn't expect _you_ to know anything about friendship, all you care about is your psycho brother and your stupid clan!" Inara stormed off.

The girls words were like a slap to the face for the Uchiha heir, scratch that, a slap wouldn't have stung as much.

A growl formed deep in the boy's chest as he kicked the wall and moved back to his seat.

The grey clad proctors and Ibiki re-entered the room, most of the genin had returned to their seats, "Alright listen up," the room was deathly silent, "All the remaining teams were able to score enough points to not be disqualified," a sighs of relief whooshed around the room.

"However," Ibiki continued, "There were some teams that tied. So now the tenth question will decide who stays and who goes. The rules for the tenth question are simple; it's an all or nothing problem. Everyone in your squad has to get it right, if you don't, you all fail. That being said, are there any teams the wish to drop out? If so raise your hands." Two fists shot in the air, six genin where lead away.

Naruto slowly raised his hand, but quickly slammed it down on to the desktop, "You're not going to scare me away that easily!" he shouted.

Inara let out the breath she had taken when the blonde had raised his hand.

Ibiki looked around the room, "Is there any more that wish to leave?"

No one moved.

"Congratulations you all pass!"

"WAIT WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TENTH QUESTION?!" shouted a genin.

Ibiki laughed, "That _was_ the tenth question, I asked if any of you wished to leave and you all gave the right answer by staying, therefore you pass."

Cheers and shouted filled the small room, the scarred man let the kids enjoy their five seconds of happiness.

He cleared his throat and everyone fell silent.

"Meet back under the tree in the Academy yard tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. sharp. From there you will proceed to the second phase of the Chunin exams. You are excused."

The exam participants quickly left the room. Tempers still on the rise, Team seven dispersed without any further conversation.

**Uchiha Compound…** **Later that Evening…**

Pottery found its way from Sasuke's hand to the wall and smashed to bits, books were torn off shelves; their pages fluttered to the ground.

Sasuke stood in the middle of the wreckage panting heavily; his legs buckled as if they couldn't bear to hold his weight any longer. Shaking breaths racked his frame, the Uchiha bit his tongue to hold back the tears of frustration that prickled just behind his jet black eyes. The taste of blood filled the genin's mouth.

"Perfect, just what I need." Sasuke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a crimson stain soaked into his training bandages.

_Why is she mad at me? Sure I refused to help Naruto but come on, who wouldn't... Inara called him a friend. Heh I almost forgot the meaning of the word, yet it's still empty as if it were nothing but a word. _

Sasuke clutched his head between his hands, _this is too confusing! Why does she go out of her way to help that, that baka? Maybe I have forgotten what it means to be a friend. _

A slight breeze caused a ripple of movement in the room, which caught the Uchiha's eye. Placing his feet firmly beneath him, he made his way across the room to the source of the motion.

A calendar swayed in the breeze, sending the paper in unusual directions. Sasuke reached out and stilled that parchment, a red circle practically jumped off the page. July second was the date, in the small box, circled in red, were the words that brought the Uchiha heir back to reality.

The black haired genin drew in a sharp breath, _AH, tomorrow's Inara's birthday! _Sasuke's thoughts turned for the better,_ this could be my chance to make this right again. But what am I going to do? All the shops are closed for the night... Wait a minute!_

Without another thought, the Shinobi headed for the basement.

A thick blanket of dust covered everything; cobwebs clung to every possible square inch of the ceiling. Boxes were stacked precariously in every corner, the words marking the contents, faded.

"Whoa, no wonder I don't come down here anymore. This place is a wreck." Setting the lamp he had brought down with him on one stack of boxes, Sasuke began his search.

He tore his way through ten or twenty boxes, when finally; he found what he was searching so fervently for.

Light glimmered off the object as he held it up for inspection, "I knew it was down here somewhere. This'll be perfect."

Sasuke dug through the box some more until he found an even smaller container covered in black velvet. Placing Inara's gift inside he snapped the lid shut, grabbed the lamp and headed back upstairs to clean up the mess he had made.

**Naruto's Place…**

The blonde genin stared up at the moon, it was shining brightly that night; a tint of red on its outer edges caught the Uzumaki's eye.

"That's weird." He starred at the odd coloring, "Something must be coming…something….evil." _Only an evil soul could color the moon red, red as blood…Tomorrow…it'll be here tomorrow._

A dark shadow eclipsed the white orb, a flutter of feathers and a small thud of a scroll hitting the ground at Naruto's feet. He picked it up and read the address. _I swear the intelligence of the mail birds is declining every day._ The boy returned to his room and tucked the scroll into his shuriken pouch. Dressed for sleep, Naruto crawled under the covers. _I'll give Inara the scroll tomorrow…stupid animals._

**Apartment Complex…**

Loud hammering echoed through the empty streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. Metal struck metal, a loud ringing bounced off the walls of Inara's small apartment.

"**Hatchling don't you think you should get some rest?"**

Inara wiped the sweat from her forehead, _nope; I won't be able to sleep. Besides the second part of the exam is tomorrow and I have to finish these._

"**But your chakra…you can't hold out much longer."**

The girl shrugged, _Oh well if it knocks me out the better_. She returned to her work, _hey Kasaki, can you form this please?_ The Kunoichi sent the dragon a mental image of what she wanted to steel to look like.

Black power oozed over the metal mass, stretching and shaping it to match the image.

"**There, just don't exhaust yourself little one."**

Inara struck the hot metal again to get rid of some impurities, _Yes mom._

Handling the heated steel carefully, Inara doused it in a bucket of cold water, a minute passed as the metal cooled and stopped sizzling.

Removing her think welding gloves, the kunoichi picked up the sword. The hilt was long for two handed use but could also easily be wielded with one. Inara leveled the blade to her eye; it was straight as an arrow, and blood channel deep.

"Perfect." She tossed the weapon in the air and caught it again in the opposite hand, "Well balanced, only one think left to do."

The white haired girl picked up a small chisel and hammer, and began to tap away at the base of the blade.

"Done!" a clan symbol shone brightly through the darkness as the moonlight stuck it. Inara laid the new weapon next to the first, "Now the only things left are the sheaths."

Digging through a large trunk filled with miscellaneous items, she pulled out two large bolts of blue and black leather. Taking a knife she etched designs into the hides. Next to the genin, two small vats of silver and white liquid boiled.

Inara poured the metals into the trenches she had just finished carving. By the time dawns first rays hit the quiet streets, two deadly weapons had been sharpened, polished, and sheathed.

**A Few Hours Later…Academy Yard…**

A large yawn escaped the yellow eyed genin's mouth as she walked towards an overly large oak tree; a crowed had already begun to gather.

Forcing her eyes to stay open, she spotted her teammates.

"Good morning Inara!" Naruto greeted in his usual hyperactive way, "Wow you look like hell."

Inara yawned again, "The lack of sleep tends to do that to a person, you should try it sometime."

"Maybe then you'll act with normal human energy levels." Said Sasuke joining his team, "Morning Inara."

The Kunoichi folded her arms across her chest, "I'm still mad at you."

"I know, but it was worth a try."

Inara felt a gentle tug on her back; she turned and saw Naruto trying to unsheathe one of the new swords.

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you…not yet anyway; their still a bit unstable." The girl warned.

Her teammate's hands flew back to his sides, "When will they be finished?"

"Soon enough." sShe said.

"So you decided to bring the heavy artillery today?" Sasuke asked picking some dirt out of his nails.

"Their not for me. I stayed up all night forging these beauties."

"Who are they for?" asked Naruto, stroking the blue sheath of one of the weapons.

"You'll see; if I can trust you that is." She took one of the blades off her back and untied the other from her waist, "Hang on to these for me, will you guys? But _do not_ unsheathe them!"

Sasuke took the black covered sword and Naruto took the blue one, "Why what'll happen?"

Inara looked the blonde in the eye, "Very…bad…things…" she spoke just above a whisper to add some more emphasis on her threat.

Naruto gulped, it worked, Y-yes ma'am." He gave a shaky salute.

Her teammates had just finished strapping the weapons to their backs when a hand full of kunai imbedded themselves in the oak tree.

"Every body shut up!" a woman in a tan trench coat made her appearance, "From here on you're my prisoners! The second phase of the exam is about to begin!"

Kiba, who was a few yards away from Inara and the others, raised and eyebrow, _who the hell is this chick?_

"The name's Anko Mitarashi! Learn it, fear it! Alright lets move out people!" she beckoned the confusion struck genin to follow her, they did because there was nothing else to do.

Squad seven walked together almost lost in the small crowed of the other participants.

"Hey guys listen, about those swords; there's something things you need to know about them." Inara whispered.

Sasuke turned to look at her, "Like what?"

The Kunoichi checked her surroundings to make sure no one was listening in on them, "Alright, I'm only going to tell you this once so pay attention. Sasuke you're sword is very violent, you need to soak it in blood at least once a week. If you don't all hell will break loose. I didn't call it Garyuu (Dragon's Fang) for nothing. Naruto your sword will not accept your demonic chakra; remember when you tried to wield Kunatsu?"

The blonde nodded, "Yeah it got heavy and I couldn't lift it."

"That's right, the same thing will happen if you put your other chakra into Souhi (Scarlet Flame). Now I've tried to forge the swords to match your personalities but they still might need some tweaking, and you need to put some of your chakra into them so I can see if they accept you as their masters."

Sasuke reached for Garyuu's hilt, Inara smacked his hand away, "Not here!" she hissed."Do you want to kill everyone? If the blade refuses to submit, I need to bend it to my will, if I don't, it may posses you the next time you unsheathe it."

"They can do that?" Naruto asked eyeing Inara's blade curiously.

"Unfortunately yes, I've never seen it personally but, I have heard of it happening. However tampering with the original design also makes it less efficient, if it refuses you, I have to weaken its will. I had to completely reform Kunatsu to accept Kasaki's chakra, and as a result of that, it's not the weapon it once was."

"So when do we test our new toys?" Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow.

Inara looked him directly in the eye, "Today, during the next phase of the Chunin exams."

AN: OMG CHAPTER 10 IS FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys have been really supportive and I really appreciate it. There were times I wanted to quit this story all together but all your reviews and support changed my mind. I'm really sorry this took so long but I had a major writers block (damn things). So Naruto and Sasuke have swords now, I wonder what kind of trouble Team seven will run into next. (Tee Hee) NEXT CHAPTER: INARA'S WHOLE PAST REVEALED!!!!! (And possibly a Kasaki vs. Kyuubi showdown!)


	11. Hidden Past

AN: HOLA EVERYBODY!!!! Whew I've been really busy lately what with school almost being over and all. Thank you all so much for your kind reviews; apparently **Challenge** is the best chapter I've written so far. I honestly don't know what I did to make some of you like it so much but thanks anyway!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto sensei is the creator of Naruto and I'm very glad that he doesn't sue me for using his characters. THANK YOU KISHIMOTO SENSEI!!!!!!!

**Hidden Past**

**Somewhere in Konoha…Pervious Day…**

A man with bright yellow eyes grinned and picked up a stack of cream colored files; moving over to a chair, he sat down and opened the first one.

_Name:_ Inara Ayanomi

_Parents:_ Orphaned

_Age:_ 12

_Birth Date: _July 2nd

_Gender:_ Female

_Status:_ Chunin Exam Participant

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf

_Squad:_ 7

_Sensei:_ Kakashi Hatake

_Recent Missions:_ 17 D rank, 2 C rank, 1 A rank

The man picked up a pencil changed the age of the file's subject. "I see you've kept our secret Inara."

_Age:_ 13.

Yellow eye's scanned the Kunoichi's picture carefully; a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, "You've grown my daughter…very impressive." He set the file down and picked up another.

_Name:_ Sasuke Uchiha

_Parents: _Orphaned

_Age:_ 12

_Birth Date: _July 23rd

_Gender:_ Male

_Status: _Chunin Exam Participant

_Village: _Hidden Leaf

_Squad: _7

_Sensei:_ Kakashi Hatake

_Recent Missions: _17 D rank, 2 C rank, 1 A rank

"Hmm… this one has potential, not bad looking either. I wonder how Inara gets along with him." The last file caught the man's attention, "Ah just one left."

_Name:_ Naruto Uzumaki

_Parents: _Orphaned

_Age:_ 12

_Birth Date: _October 10th

_Gender:_ Male

_Status: _Chunin Exam Participant

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf

_Squad:_ 7

_Sensei:_ Kakashi Hatake

_Recent Missions: _17 D rank, 2 C rank, 1 A rank

The man raised an eyebrow at the blonde's profile, "Interesting, you've made some peculiar friends my daughter." He set the folder down, "It's time I made my presence known."

**Forrest of Death Entrance…Present Day…**

Anko stopped in front a large fenced in area. "Alright I need everyone to sign one these consent forms."

"Why do we need consent forms?" asked a white haired teen with glasses.

The older Kunoichi looked down at a piece of paper in her hand, "You must be Kabuto Yakushi I presume? The consent forms are just for precautions, in case some of you don't come back alive from this test."

Someone next to Inara gulped, the genin rolled her eyes,_ she's making this sound more difficult than it really is._

A kunai sped through the air, cutting the white haired girl's arm.

"You think this is a game?" Anko shouted.

The cut on Inara's arm began to bleed, she brought the injury up to her face and licked the blood, "No, I think your being over dramatic."

"Inara do you really think it's a good idea to be arguing with a proctor?" Naruto asked with a worried look on his face.

The Kunoichi ignored her teammate.

Anko laughed, "Ah a tough girl, I get it. I've seen your type before."

"Is that so?"

"Yep they tend to leave their blood everywhere in these woods."

"Oh there will be blood alright," said Inara with a glint in her eye, "but I can guarantee you it won't be mine."

Naruto gave Sasuke an aren't-you-going-to-do-anything? She-is your- girlfriend-after-all look. The Uchiha shook his head, he wasn't about to step in, he valued his life and limbs.

"Little bitch!" Anko threw a handful of kunai in Inara's direction.

The white haired Kunoichi drew her sword and swung it like a baseball bat, sending the kunai back in their owner's direction; Anko was forced to take cover behind a tree as her weapons sunk into the trunk.

"Care to try that again?" Inara asked resting Kunatzu's blade on her shoulder.

Anko let out a growl, the younger Kunoichi laughed, "I didn't think so. Please proceed."

_Some kids just don't have any respect these days_, Anko thought trying to scrape together what was left of her pride.

"To put things simply, this is a survival test that will last for five days. Any thing heaven, and one earth. "Each team will start out with one of the scrolls; your objective is to take the other from another team. There are three ways for you to be disqualified, one: if all three of you can't make it to the tower in the middle of the forest with both scrolls, two: if one of your teammates die, and three: if you read the scroll that you are carrying."

"What happens if it just opens and you read it?" Naruto asked.

Anko grinned, "Trust me you don't want to know. Okay everybody please sign a consent form and get together with your teams. You'll trade your team's forms for a scroll over there." She pointed at a small shelter. "And I have one last piece of advice…JUST DON'T DIE!"

"Yeah that would be very helpful." Sasuke droned fiddling with the strap on his chest that kept Garyuu's black and white hilt angled over his right shoulder.

It only took a few minutes for squad seven to read through and sign the consent forms and receive a heaven scroll.

"Sasuke you carry it." Said Inara handing the scroll to him.

The Uchiha nodded and placed it in his shuriken pouch.

Half an hour later Anko called for everyone's attention, "As soon as I'm done talking, you'll pick a gate and the test will begin. Remember you have five days to complete the test. Good luck everyone."

**Gate 16…**

"Whoohoo! Finally something fun!" shouted Kiba, Akumaru barked in agreement.

"Do you want them to hear you?" asked Shino pushing his dark glasses further up on to his face.

Kiba ignored him, "Hinata you better be strong enough for this!"

The black haired girl nodded, "I-I'll try Kiba."

**Gate 27…**

"We'll go after Naruto's squad first, they'll be the weakest next to us." Said Shikamaru, "I'll take care of Sasuke, Sakura you cover Naruto, be careful, I noticed that he was carrying a new sword this morning. I don't know if he'll use it or not. Ino you got Inara, she shouldn't be too much trouble, again watch out for the sword. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she knows how to wield it and won't hesitate to do so."

The girls nodded as they were given their assigned targets.

_Hmm their not arguing for once, it's nice to have peace for a change._ The Nara thought.

**Gate 12…**

Inara paced in front of the locked gates like a cornered animal.

"Alright, since we have to get the other scroll I suggest setting up traps to catch unsuspecting victims."

"Or we could just fight them." Said Naruto.

"There is that, it's a little risky but it could work. What do you think Sasuke?"

The Uchiha shrugged, "I don't care as long as we get the other scroll."

"Oh that reminds me!" Naruto dug around in his shuriken pouch and pulled out a scroll, he tossed it to Inara, "Here, that came for you last night; the mail bird got our apartments mixed up...again."

The Kunoichi broke the seal on the scroll and held it up to read.

_Inara, _

_Congratulations on taking part in the Chunin exams, you have no idea how proud I am. I heard about your incident in the Land of Waves, nice work, I couldn't have done it better myself, I see you've been practicing all the Jutsus I've been sending you. I'll be in the neighborhood so don't be surprised if I drop by unannounced. Keep up the good work._

_Dad_

_P.S. You had better be taking good care of Kasaki, I shall be very put out if he's ill. I'm closer to your current location that you know._

Inara's eyes widened in horror, summoning some of her demonic chakra, she burnt the scroll in her hand; the ashes fluttered to the ground.

_Damn it this isn't good. I thought he was dead and now he's here!_

**Gate 6…**

No emotion betrayed what Gaara was thinking, his siblings gulped nervously. They knew their little brother was planning something for a very unfortunate victim inside the forest.

**Gate 20…**

"You both know who are targets are…find them. I don't want any mistakes!" said a sound Nin, his features were covered by bandages. A black haired girl dressed in camo and a dark haired boy with odd fixings over his ears nodded.

"Yes we much not disappoint his Lordship, especially when he is so close at hand." said the girl grinning menacingly.

**Gate 38…**

_He makes me do this every year. Why Lord Orochimaru? Do you not trust my abilities any longer? Or do you do it to keep me away from that brat of yours?_ Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We'll see who finds her first, won't we my Lord?"

**Gate 15…**

Three grass ninja sat waiting for the proctor to admit them into the forest.

"Once inside, I'm going to send one of my pets in after them. That way we won't have to waste precious time in tracking our targets." Said one of the Nin. An abnormally long tongue hung from his open mouth, with it, he licked one of his eyes.

"This is going to be fun. I hope there's blood."

**Main Gate…**

Anko looked at her watch again, "Alright it's time to lead the brats to their demise! OPEN THE GATES!"

All around the compound the metal gates flew open, everyone leapt through them at blinding speeds.

Naruto and Sasuke pushed every ounce of chakra they had to their legs to try and keep up with Inara, who was still a few yards in front of them.

"Inara slow down!" Sasuke called after her. The Kunoichi ran faster still, apparently she hadn't heard him.

She stopped suddenly causing Sasuke to run straight into her. Naruto shook his head and sighed as he watched his teammates fall.

_THUD! _Two bodies hit the forest floor.

_ARG DAMN THAT HURT LIKE HELL...!_ _Luckily I landed on something soft._ Inara opened her eyes, a wincing Sasuke lay underneath her, "Oops sorry." She rolled off of him, "You okay?"

The Uchiha clutched his stomach; Inara had knocked the wind out of him, "Oh yeah…I'll be fine…just… hold on a second." Slowly but surly, Sasuke got up and went behind a bush.

Inara heard gags and finally the sound of vomit hitting leaves; she grimaced and fought the urge to do the same.

Naruto landed beside her as Sasuke returned from behind the shrub looking a little pale.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked the blonde.

The dark haired boy shook his head, not yet ready to talk.

"What's that over there?" Naruto pointed towards a large object.

Inara cocked her head to one side, "I don't know. Stay here I'll check it out."

"INARA WAIT!" Sasuke shouted. It was too late, the head of a giant snake burst from the behind the tree it had been hiding in.

Inara leapt into the air.

The snake swung its head from side to side trying to locate its prey. It spotted Naruto and Sasuke as they reached for the hilts of their swords. With a flick of its tongue, the reptile slithered forward towards its next meal.

Inara abandoned her hiding spot to place herself between her friends and the hungry animal, "_Dethrisj okarthel! Nowak ama vargach! (Go home I do not wish to fight)_ the Kunoichi yelled.

The snake blinked, _Nowak cowa hui pauz guasssuow (I was sent by my master to find you.) _

The girl's stance relaxed.

"Inara what the hell is going on? And what the hell is it saying?" Sasuke asked not daring to take his eyes off the large reptile. Inara shushed him. He gave the Kunoichi a, you-better-know-what-your-doing look.

"_Kuozo guasssouwres pauz ohn. Waitdni irous guasssourwop boucsve?" (Well now you've found me. What are your intensions?) _Inara drew her sword, "_Op toups incosfca hui thuril…guassuow traun lowx! (If they involve harming my friends you will die!)_

The snake flicked its tongue and shook its head, "_Uintz ionw guasssouwera ceay. Nowak fesfurs wecfnk hui pauz. (Put up your sword. I shall return to my master.) _The snake turned to leave.

"_JOKO!" (WAIT) _Inara held out her hand to the reptile, "_Xcor goak guasssouwera pauz?( who is your master) _

" _Quasssuow mouidn linde kuozo. Ge soin guasssouwera deamin" (You know him well. He is your father.) _

All the color drained from Inara's face, her mouth open from shock.

The snake tilted its head, "_Irous guassiow gounlkt pauzini? (Are you alright mistress?) _

"_Gethrisj! Ouirnt ohn xounsao!" (Go and do not come back!) _Inara shouted; the strength in her voice made the snake flinch.

" _Geroun pauzini_" (_yes mistress)_ The reptile turned and slid away, leaving Inara panting heavily.

Sasuke ran forward to catch her as she went limp, "Inara are you okay?"

The Kunoichi nodded, "Yeah I'll be fine."

"What kind of language was that?" asked Naruto.

"Reptilian…Dragons and snakes are cousins so Kasaki was acting as interpreter, but it's used a lot of my chakra."

"So what's going on?" the Uchiha prodded for more information.

Inara swallowed, "It's my father; he's looking for me…he's here and close. He sent that snake to verify my location."

"Are we in any danger?" Naruto wanted to know.

"I don't think so…but where ever my father goes, death follows merrily in his wake."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged nervous glances. The Uchiha helped the Kunoichi back to her feet.

"Come on we have to keep moving. Even if _we're_ not in trouble, knowing my dad, someone else is."

**Gate Entrance…**

The screams of torture had died down enough for Anko to sit down and have a bit of a snack. She had just finished when an ANBU landed in front of her.

"Anko we have a situation. Lord Hokage wishes you to help with the investigation."

The dark haired Kunoichi stood up, "Alright, alright, don't get your underwear in a bundle."

"This way." The ANBU pointed due south of the training area, both Kohona Nin dashed towards to site.

**Investigation Scene…**

Three bodies littered the ground, their faces completely torn off. Anko recoiled at the scene. "There's only one person who could have done this," she hissed, her fists shaking with rage. "Tell the Hokage…Orochimaru is in the Hidden Leaf Village."

Three ANBU that were already at the site, vanished to deliver the message.

Anko's hand wandered up to the base of her neck just above her shoulder. She gripped the curse mark, _why is he here? And why now?_ The Kunoichi looked up at the sky, it was getting dark; night would descend on the forest soon.

**Forrest of Death…**

"Well that's one way to waste time." Said Naruto plopping himself down on a tree root.

"Hey it's either catch or be caught and we haven't seen anyone all day. So staying on the move was the best choice." Sasuke said leaning up against a tree.

Inara was still breathing heavily; she had used up way too much chakra trying to maintain her break neck speeds through the undergrowth. She sat down on the forest floor. Digging though her clothing she pulled out a small bag and dumped some if it's contents into her hand.

A tiny pill rested in her palm as Inara put the others away safely in the bag. Throwing her head back, the Kunoichi swallowed the medication.

"Don't you think you're over doing it with those?" Naruto asked, "That's your second one this hour. Remember what Kakashi sensei said about those things?"

"Who are you my mother? Of course I know the risks. I'll punish myself later okay?"

"Whatever, just don't come crying to me when you're as skinny as a skeleton."

Sasuke watched the skirmish like a ping-pong game, following each retort with a turn of his head.

The forest was growing darker and darker with each passing second.

Inara stood up and brushed the leaves and debris from her backside, "Alright it's kind of obvious that we're not going to get anything else done today and I'm sure the other teams are bunking down as well. So I suggest we make camp and eat."

"Eat what? We didn't bring any food with us," complained Naruto, "And I don't see a ramen shop anywhere."

The Kunoichi laughed, "We go foraging silly. This forest is bound to have tons of food. The trick is finding it and avoiding things that will kill you."

"Speaking of "killing" that snake isn't going to come back is it?" Naruto asked rubbing the back of his head.

"Nope we've seen the last of him." Said Inara surveying the scenery. "Okay since you city boys don't know the first thing about camping I'll issue assignments. Naruto you go collect the driest wood you can find, it has to be dry so it won't crackle as loud when it burns." She turned to Sasuke, "And you can keep watch and keep an eye on Naruto so he doesn't wander off too far. I'm gonna go looking for some food."

The two boys nodded as they were given their assignments. Half an hour of darkness passed in silence when Naruto returned with an arm load of dry kindling. The Uchiha helped his teammate arrange the sticks in to a pile and stood off to the side as he watched the blonde try to light the wood with a pair of rocks.

Many curses and bruised fingers later, Naruto threw the stones into the dirt, "That's it I give up-HOLY SHIT!" Flames sprang from the twigs as Sasuke used his fire Jutsu.

The Uzumaki brought his arms back down, "Hey a little warning would be nice! You almost set my hair on fire!" The blonde pointed to a singed spot on his head.

"Well move faster next time."

"Why you!"

The rustling of a bush brought their attention back to their surroundings. Sasuke threw a kunai into the bush out of instinct.

"Who the hell threw that?" Inara's voice rang clearly through the night air; she appeared holding Sasuke's kunai between her fingers.

"Whoops, sorry Inara."

The yellow eyed girl glared at the black haired boy, "So you guys hungry?" she returned to the bush and pulled out two roughly made baskets filled with wild fruits and vegetables; three rabbits, gutted and skinned lay on top, destined for the fire.

Naruto made a face, "Is any of that even eatable?" he asked poking a rabbit carcass with a stick.

"It will be once it's cooked. Sasuke want to give me a hand here?" The Uchiha took the hares, wrapped them in leaves and set them in the fire to cook.

"Naruto does your diet consist of only ramen?" he asked.

"So Inara how'd you get so good at finding food in a place like this?" asked Naruto, after the meal had been eaten and the scraps buried.

The fire crackled quietly casting shadows on the trees surrounding the campsite.

Inara hugged her knees, "When you live on the streets you pick up on a few things."

"Streets? What happened to your family?" asked the blonde.

"It's a long story." Inara said quietly.

"Well it's not like we've got anything to do at the moment." Said Sasuke.

The Kunoichi relaxed her posture, "Alright get comfortable cause this is a long one."

Naruto repositioned himself so he lay on his stomach. Sasuke sat down and leaned up against a tree.

Inara took a deep breath and started her tale, "I was born in the Land of Flames and Ice also known as the Wasteland Village because of the intense summers and freezing winters. Only the strong survived. Life expectancy wasn't long, you were considered lucky if you lived to be fifty. Everyone was poor, even our nobles. Here they would be about lower class. Food was scarce, we were too poor to buy it and we couldn't grow our own because the land was barren. My clan was a small one, only about seventy members total. We were world renowned for our sword making, but only ten members had the proper skill so our works were few and far between. Due to all the attempts to keep the bloodlines "pure" all the men in the clan were pretty much sterile."

Inara looked up at the sky, she could just make out some of the stars, "My father was not a clan member; he was an outsider. When my mother became pregnant with me rumors spread quickly that she had been raped. Normally I would have been killed for being "impure" and my mother disowned, but I was the only child born to the clan so they accepted me. As soon I came into this world my future was decided; where I would go to school, what kind of friends I could and couldn't make, who I would marry and so on."

"The elders decided quite quickly that I was not to be seen or heard. Because I was a half breed I was a disgrace to the family name. At a young age I was locked away in a dark room with anything I wanted to keep me happy. The only thing I couldn't get was the only thing I wanted."

"And what was that?" Probed Naruto, this was getting good.

Inara looked at him with sad, lonely eyes, "I wanted a companion, someone who needed me as much as I needed them. At the age of four, I began sneaking out of my dark prison. After about an hour of pointless wandering, I came across a small band of kids a few years older than me. The leader I think was eight at the time. I'll never forget him, his name was Otetsu. Like the other children of the group, he had been orphaned at a young age. He was cautious of me at first, but quickly accepted me when I told him my story. They taught me how to fight, scrounge for food, and steal when necessary, the basics of street life. In return I brought them what food and clothing I could spare.

One day I stole Kunatzu from the armory, it was the first sword forged by the Ayanomi clan, but my family didn't notice. For all they knew the armory was supposed to be impenetrable. When I was five I had mastered all forms of street fighting, including swordsmanship and I had my first taste of blood."

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened with shock, five was really young to accomplish a first kill.

Inara continued, "We were trying to get food from the local market. The shopkeeper was on to us from the start and when Otetsu moved in to make the steal, the storeowner grabbed him by the neck and drew a blade out from his clothes. I didn't stop to think; I didn't know what to do. My leader was in danger and I wasn't willing to loose him or any of my friends that I had grown close to so easily. I drew Kunatzu and stabbed that old bastard in the back! He died immediately, releasing Otetsu from his grip allowing us to escape.

My life changed that day. That day I earned the title "Swift Blade", and second in command of the small gang. I became somewhat of a celebrity among the street rats, it was the first time I actually felt needed."

The Kunoichi's eyes shined with the memory, "A month of easy times followed but it didn't last. In the beginning of the winter everyone in the band was captured by the local Shinobi. I was at home at the time so they never found me. Otetsu and the others were executed for the murder of the shopkeeper; a crime that _I_ had committed!"

Tears filled Inara's eyes; she hid her face in her knees again, trembling breaths shook her body.

Sasuke got up and moved over to the Kunoichi's side. Being extremely careful not to disturb the girl, he slid up from behind and wrapped his arms around her so she sat between his legs. The Uchiha rocked the white haired girl from side to side gently as she clung to him crying bitterly.

"Ssshhh Inara it's okay. I'm here." He whispered.

Inara stopped crying after a few minutes, she had no more tears to shed.

Sasuke pulled back slightly, "All better?"

The Ayanomi nodded her head.

"Good." Said the Uchiha, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"So then what happened?" the blonde asked, his eyes betrayed sympathy for his teammates loss.

"Naruto!" Sasuke hissed, "Make her feel worse why don't you!"

"No…it's alright." Inara reassured the angry clan heir, "I found out later that it was the clan elders that had ordered my friends to be killed. Someone had seen me hanging out with them and witnessed the murder. My mother was devastated. She begged the elders to spare my life; it didn't take much persuasion. The government was very strict when it came to murder, to put it simply it was an eye for an eye sort of speak. I was spared only because of the very blood I hated! Had I not been the heiress, I would have died right alongside them. I never snuck out of the house again. Mother noticed my sorrow and took pity on me. A few months later a boy…about my age…came for a visit. He eased my suffering. We spent many long hours playing together. He came in the winter and I went with him back to his homeland during the summer. This continued until I was seven. Then he stopped coming. I was left alone once again. I never saw him after that. From what my mother told me he was dead because of a horrible accident. I had lost another friend."

Tears threatened to flow from the white haired girls eyes again; she bit her lip to hold them back. Sasuke tightened his grip around her as a remembrance that she had someone she could hold on to and trust to be there when she needed him.

The pain of sorrow soon subsided from Inara's heart and she was able to finish her story.

"The day of my eighth birthday I heard from my father again and Kasaki was given to me as a gift from him. When I returned from the sealing ritual, my home had been destroyed. There was nothing left, just a pile of smoking embers that had once been a town and my home. My father told me to come to Kohona while he investigated who had killed my family. When I arrived here, well you should know that part of story."

Naruto nodded, "So how do you feel now?"

Inara smiled at him, "I feel needed again, but the question is…how long will it last? How far will we go before we're cut down by some stronger force?"

"How long before we too become part of a hidden past?" Sasuke whispered digging through his shurinken pouch.

A few seconds later, a small black velvet box sat in his hand under Inara's face.

"Happy birthday."

Inara starred in wonder at the case, "Can I open it?" she asked.

"Well it's not going to by it's self now is it?"

Slowy the white haired girl reach foward and lifted the lid, inside was a bractlet.

She picked it up, it was made of a silvery metal; a braided black leather cord hung from the top connected to a ring.

Sasuke took the braclet and clamped the metal around Inara's wrist and slid the ring around her middle finger.

The kunoichi opened and closed her hand, testing it manuverablity, the jewlery prevented her from closing her hand completly.

"Don't worry, that should streatch with time."

Inara inspected the silver, a symbol was etched into it.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"Actually I found it in my basement, why?"

The white haired girl looked at him with disbelieving eyes,"This is my clan symbol." she pointed to the vortex where the metal seemed to swirl together, one dash for the four main directions of the wind: North, South, East, and West.

AN: ok if I wasn't clear on anything about Inara's past just reveiw me and I shall make it not so fuzzy for you. INARA GOT HER PRESENT YEY! It was going to be a necklace but I changed it to a braclet because I don't really thing she would wear it. (and metal braclets hurt alot more it you get hit by them.)


	12. Reunion

1AN: Ok again I don't have anything to report on except…you guys are being really stingy with your reviews. Well that's all…I hope you like this chapter I'm sorry if it stinks but I'm typing with a writers block here!

P.S. I'm so sorry this took so long, but I had camp to go to and I got sick so…I'M SORRY! (bows)

Disclaimer: I swear if I have to say that I don't own Naruto one more time…AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! (Oops)

**Reunion **

Inara opened her eyes and sat up. Naruto and Sasuke were still asleep.

She dropped the barrier that had protected them while they slept.

_Kasaki you can rest now and thanks._

The black dragon yawned, **"You're welcome hatchling. Wake me when night falls."**

_Will do._ The kunoichi got up and began her search for food.

_Their going to be hungry when they wake up. Let's see what I can find here._

She looked around for about five or so minutes and returned to the campsite after successfully gathering a basket of berries and some more rabbits.

Inara took some of the wood from the night before and lit a fire using Sasuke's fire Jutsu. The rabbits were beginning to cook when Naruto woke up.

"Morning Inara…what's for breakfast?" he saw the rabbits and berries, "Sweet."

When the morning meal was ready, Inara walked over to wake the sleeping Uchiha.

"Sasuke wake up, breakfast is ready." She gently nudged his shoulder, he didn't respond.

"Sasuke wake up." She said a little louder.

_Sheesh he's dead to the world!_ _ This is going to be evil but…_ Inara smiled to herself, SASUKE WAKE UP ITACHI'S HERE!"

"WHERE?!" Sasuke drew a kunai and jumped up in the same motion.

The white haired girl fell over clutching her sides from laughter.

Naruto, who had already been chowing down, almost spit his food out. He too was rolling on the ground.

Sasuke glared at the two of them, "Ha ha very funny. Where's the food I'm starving." He sat down and helped himself to the meat and some strawberries.

"So what's the game plan for today?" he asked between mouthfuls of food.

Naruto had completed his meal, "Its obvious isn't it? We get the other scroll."

Inara nodded, "Yep that's what I was thinking."

Team seven's attention was suddenly directed at a small bush, "You can come out guys we know you're there." Inara yelled.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura emerged from the foliage.

"Hey guys you're just in time for breakfast!" Naruto shouted, "Inara do we have enough for company?"

The kunoichi nodded, "Yeah, eat up guys."

The other squad was dumbfounded, they were there to steal team seven's scroll not socialize!

The Nara shrugged and sat down, the other kuniochis followed suit.

"So how are things going with you guys?" Sasuke asked.

Ino and Sakura both turned a shade of pink before trying to answer the question at the same time, which in the end resulted in a fight.

Inara rolled her eyes, _It never changes with those two… poor Shikamaru._

"Hmm…what a drag…Will you two cut it out? You're going to lit something on fire!" Shikamaru reached out and stopped Ino from tackling Sakura to the ground.

"Well at least we know who the leader is now." Inara said as the other kunoichis sat down to stare at the Uchiha while he ate.

"Tell me about it. It's been like this ever since yesterday." The procrastinator covered his eyes with a hand, "I'm honestly beginning to think if this is even worth the trouble."

"Well you've never been very motivated to begin with Shikamaru. Try showing interest in something for once." Ino replied.

The Nara glared at her.

"What scroll do you guys have anyway?" Sakura wanted to know.

Sasuke shot Inara a concerned look; his teammate gave him the okay.

The Uchiha reached into his shuriken pouch and produced the scroll.

"Well now doesn't that just figure?" Shikamaru rested his chin in the palm of his hand.

"What? What's wrong?" Sasuke threw the scroll at him.

"We have the same scroll. Sakura give it here." The Nara caught the parchment and held it up for team seven to see. "We were going to steal yours but now there's no point. So we'll be leaving now."

"AAAWWW but Shika!" Ino whined.

"No buts! If we're going to pass this stupid test we have to get another scroll. So quit your whining and come on." He took to the trees.

Sakura sighed, "Sorry guys he's been a bit edgy lately, probably not enough sleep."

"Come on billboard brow we're going to lose him!"

"I'm coming Ino pig!"

**A Few Hours Later…**

Squad seven stood in a relatively large clearing. Inara had drawn Kunatzu from its crimson sheath. "Okay guys it's time we see if your swords accept you as their wielders. Take them out."

The two male genin drew their new weapons and held them at the ready.

"So far so good, Sasuke is Garyuu light weight?"

The Uchiha tested the sword, "Yeah I guess."

"Good. Naruto does Souhi feel like an extension of your arm?"

"Yep!"

"Excellent! Now take some chakra and feed it to the gem in the hilt; not too much though because you won't be able to get it back. Naruto you try first."

The Uzumaki closed his cerulean eyes and fed a string of power in to the claymore.

Inara and Sasuke watched as the pale grey blade slowly turned red, the blood channel yellow and the hilt orange. The pearl the served at the storage compartment for chakra changed from its soft white to a cold black.

Naruto opened his eyes and just about fell over, "WHOA! Inara is that a good thing?"

The kunoichi nodded, "Yes Naruto that's a very good thing. You see the sword changes to better accommodate your chakra, it also changed to the color that your true chakra is."

"Awsome! What else is there?"

"Nothing you're done. Souhi is now fully at your command." Inara turned to the raven haired boy, "Alright Sasuke your turn."

Sasuke spread his feet apart to brace himself in case anything went wrong. Like Naruto he added his chakra in to the emerald in Garyuu's hilt.

A high pitched ringing forced Naruto to cover his ears to spare his eardrums from bursting.

The blade changed from gray to black in an instant the original copper blood channel now surged with blue coloring, the black leather in the center of the hilt turned to white diamond shapes, leaving some black to border them.

The Uchiha relaxed his stance and held up the blade.

Inara tilted her head to one side, "Now that was interesting. You heard that screeching didn't you Sasuke?"

"I think the whole forest heard it."

"The screech meant that Garyuu wasn't willing to be your servant, but then it changed color; it accepted you. I suggest you be careful with it Sasuke. I don't know what's going on but it can't be good."

A kunai sped through the air and imbedded itself into Inara's arm, she yelled out in pain.

"INARA!" both male genin rushed to her side before she hit her knees.

"I'm…fine." She stammered as she wrenched the metal from her limb.

Cruel laughter echoed from the trees.

"Pitiful…absolutely disgraceful! What do you think Kin?"

Team seven looked around desperately to find the source of the voices.

"I think we should take them out now…just for the fun of it." Said a female voice.

_Kasaki! I'm sorry but I need your help!_

**"What is it hatchling?"**

_I need you to heal the injury on my arm, it's not deep, but the blade was poisoned!_

**"I'll get right on it."**

By the time Kasaki had healed the gash; three sound ninja sauntered in front of Team seven, their eyes full blood lust.

"Kin, take out the girl. I got the black haired one, and Zaku…take your time with the blonde." Said the leader of the squad. His face was covered with bandages, revealing only one eye to see from.

"Sure you get to keep the strong one for yourself Dosu, that's not fair!" Zaku complained.

A low growl torn through Naruto's chest, "I'M MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR YOU!" he charged the sound ninja.

Naruto caught the short haired genin off guard, knocking him to the ground.

Kin took advantage of Naruto's anger and turned it against him. She quickly drove the Uzumaki back up against a tree with a kunai to his throat.

"This wasn't so hard; what was I worried about? UHN!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Inara dealt the girl a round-house kick to her head, knocking her away from Naruto.

"That's for threatening my friend," the white haired Kunoichi hissed as she advanced towards her opponent, "and this is for interrupting out training!" she slammed her fist skyward under the black haired girl's chin.

Dosu glared menacingly, "You little bitch!" brandishing a kunai in one hand he sprinted towards the Kunoichi. A flicker of blue stopped him in his tracks before a bandaged wrapped leg sent him flying.

"_Kanoha Shofu!_" (Leaf Rising Wind) Sasuke planted his feet, "You wanna get to them, you have to go through me first! _Hayabusa Otoshi!_" (Peregrine Falcon Drop) Jumping into the air, the Uchiha grabbed hold of Dosu's legs and drove him head first into the ground.

**With Inara and Kin…**

"That really hurt you wench!" Kin wiped blood from her forehead where Inara had struck her.

"Good, attack any of us again and I'll show you what true pain is."

"Oh you mean like this?" the black haired Kunoichi threw a shuriken in Naruto's direction. Inara disappeared from the sound Nin's sight.

"Yes," said the Ayanomi holding the weapon between her fingers, "exactly like that!"

Kin scowled, "Okay you're fast, but can you keep up with this?" she threw a handful of senbon needles in the white haired direction.

Inara ducked just in time as three needles imbedded themselves in to the tree behind her. Quiet tinkling of bells caught her attention. Pain shot up her leg as four bell-less senbon pierced it.

_Ugh again with the needles…why is it always needles? _

"That's for harming my beautiful face." Kin drew more needles.

"Please, I don't think animal shit qualifies as a face." Inara drew Kunatzu from its sheath. Metal met metal as the two girls blocked each others attacks.

"Why don't you return those eyes to the snake you borrowed them from!" Kin spat.

Inara laughed, "You want to know something else these _snake_ eyes can do?" the Ayanomi's eyes flicked to ice blue, a smirk spread across the girls face, "Ya like?"

Kin recoiled, "What the hell are you?!"

Inara dug a trench in the ground with her sword, "What am I? A demon!"

**With Naruto and Zaku…**

The blonde ninja slammed his knee in to his opponent's stomach, bringing his elbow in; Naruto rammed it into Zaku's face.

The sound Nin crumpled to the ground, "That's…it…no more…playing around!" He held out his hand, a wave of sound hit Naruto square in the chest knocking him against a tree. The Uzumaki hit his knees and vomited.

"Ha ha ha! What did you think of that?! Sound can't be dodged…this battle's as good as over. Zaku felt cool steel touch his jugular vein.

"Yeah yeah yeah, the story of my life, but don't you think you should beat me _before_ you start bragging?"

"H-how d-did you?!"

Naruto wrenched his enemies head in the direction "he" had been just seconds before; a shadow clone poofed away in a cloud of smoke.

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

The blonde grinned, "If it's impossible then how come you're the one with the sword at your throat?"

Zaku started laughing hysterically, "You don't get it do you?"

Naruto brought Souhi in just enough to draw blood; Zaku disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

_Damn him!_ The blonde Shinobi closed his eyes, heightening his senses and concentrated on the surrounding area. The irregular rustling of leaves about 60 feet behind him caught his attention.

"Fool, I know you're right…THERE!" Naruto blocked a kunai with Souhi, its red blade reflected light into Zaku's eyes, blinding him.

"Game over! _Bushin Taiatarri!_" (Clone Body Blow) A dozen orange clad genin kicked Zaku into the air as a dozen more dealt him kicks and punches from every angle.

The Sound Nin landed heavily, face first on the ground not moving.

"Told you…I was…strong enough." Naruto panted. _I must have thrown too much chakra in to that last move. Oh well, one down two more to go._

**With Sasuke and Dosu…**

"LOIN'S BARRAGE!" Sasuke corrected himself when he landed. Dosu lay on the ground bleeding from numerous kunai gashes.

"Damn…you… to the…deepest pits of hell!" shouted the bandaged Nin.

The Uchiha glared at his opponent and picked him up roughly by the shirt, "You wanna see hell?" he waited for an answer, one never came, "Hurt my friend or my girlfriend and you'll earn a one way ticket faster than you can blink!" Sasuke shouted; it took all this strength not to kill older boy in front of him.

Dosu shook his head to ward off the oncoming darkness, "I was going to kill them quickly, but now that you've put up a fight, their deaths shall be long and painful."

"WRONG ANSWER!" The Uchiha withdrew Garyuu from its black and silver sheath. As soon as the blade had cleared the sheath's top; a force pushed all the air out of Sasuke's lungs. The Leaf Nin tried to regain the lost air, but what he got was thick and warm. Coal black eyes clouded over turning them light grey, an evil smirk spread across the black haired genin's features. Laughing to himself, the possessed Uchiha advanced towards Dosu.

Dosu stared wide-eyed; the change in his opponent's personality had happned so quickly. Who was this kid? Rolling up his sleeves Dosu revealed his secret weapon. Two metal fixings with holes in the top. He flicked one of them with the end of his finger sending a wave of unseen force in Sasuke's direction.

The Uchiha raised a black eyebrow, "_Is that the best you can do?_" a new voice projected from his throat, it dripped with venom and malice, thirsting for blood. It was the true voice of Garyuu the Dragon's Fang spirit.

"_We finish this now!_"Sasuke raised his sword and brought it down with punishing force across Dosu's arms. The sound devices cracked and fell to the ground, useless. Sasuke was just about to deliver the killing stroke when he felt something move under his foot.

"_Nin wire?!_"

A series of violent explosions charred his leg and arm wrappings causing them to melt away from his body. The stagnant smell of burnt flesh almost caused Sasuke to choke. Right now moving was a task that proved too painful. He felt a rough hand grab his hair and jerk his head up.

"Didn't see my little trap did you Uchiha?" Dosu growled.

The burnt skin on Sasuke's arms and legs seared painfully, the genin bit his tongue to hold back a scream of agony; blood filled his mouth.

"This was easier than I thought! Hopefully the blonde and that little whore of yours put up more of a fight."

The black haired Shinobi spat in Dosu's face, soaking the bandages with his blood.

The sound Nin glared at his opponent through a narrowed eye, "You should learn some respect for your elders!" A fist to the stomcah Sasuke flying into a tree.

He lay gasping at the base when a loud noise forced him to snap his head up, a movement he already regretted.

"HEY UGLY!" Shouted a filmier voice. "LEAVE MY TEAMMATE ALONE! _Bunshinkaiten Kakatou!_ (Clone Spinning Heel Drop) Naruto landed on front of Sasuke smiling as his shadow clones made quick work of Dosu.

The Uchiha chuckled, "What took you so long baka?"

"I had some other shit to clean up…this won't take long. You okay?"

"Well other than being burned to a crisp…yeah. How's Inara?"

"Don't know I didn't get a chance to check up with her yet…but don't worry I'm sure she's giving that other girl hell though."

Dosu struggled to get to his feet; Naruto's clones had disappeared when the blonde called his chakra back to him.

"Alright let's do this!" growled the Uzumaki. "_Bushin Taiatarri!"_

"Right! _Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!_" (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)

**With Inara…**

_Kasaki what the hell is going on?_ Inara blocked another attack.

"**I'm sorry little one, but neither you nor I have enough chakra to transform." **

_Perfect…just perfect. Is this really the best you can do?_

Kasaki let loose a deep growl, **"If it wasn't, would I be doing it?" **

Inara ducked again as Senbon needle grazed her cheek. Since the "change" Kin hadn't given Inara a single opening to attack. The black haired Kunoichi was driving her back, further and further from their original location.

"Not so tough now are you?" Kin attacked again, kicking Inara in the stomach.

The Ayanomi crumpled to the ground, "ARG damn it!" she got up. The sound Nin disappeared.

The heat of flames raced along the right side on Inara's face.

"What the…?"

Sasuke finished his Jutsu, "INARA WATCH OUT!"

A flash of orange knocked her forward out of harms way. Sasuke caught her before she could fall.

"You okay?"

"I think so. Who was that?"

The Uchiha laughed, "Take a look for yourself."

Naruto struggled to keep Souhi from cutting his skin as he blocked Dosu's kunai.

Inara's eyes just about bugged out, "N-Naruto?"

The blonde looked in her direction, "Hey if you don't mind I could use a little help over here!"

The couple drew their swords and ran to help their teammate.

Squad Seven now fought back to back as Zaku and Kin materialized at Dosu's side.

"So you guys having fun without me?" Inara asked as she tried to decapitate the black haired Kunoichi.

Naruto smirked, "Oh yeah loads of fun. Just ask pyro freak over there."

The burnt Uchiha rolled his eyes, "Aw come on it was an honest mistake!"

"You stepped on Nin wire didn't you?" Inara asked blankly.

"Uh heh heh oops." Sasuke ducked and kicked Zaku's legs out from underneath him.

Naruto dealt Dosu a punch to his stomach, "Hey guys how about we cut this short huh?"

Inara dodged Kin's fist, "Good idea, cover me!" The white haired Kunoichi took to a nearby tree limb, she formed some quick hand signs, and "Hey guys take cover!"

"Way ahead of you!" Naruto winked as he and Sasuke appeared next to her.

"_Suiton: Koku no Jutsu_!"

Black oil burst from the ground and covered the sound Nin completely.

"_Katon: Gkakyu no Jutsu!_" Sasuke added as flames erupted from his mouth, transforming those on the receiving end into human torches.

A few moments of dying screams and then nothing, no movement, no sound except for the crackling of the fire.

Naruto watched the flames eating their way through what just moments before had been living, breathing humans, "Let's go."

Inara and Sasuke nodded, the shock of what they had just done numbed them inside.

The Uchiha took a step forward and grunted in discomfort and fell over. "Shit!"

Inara inspected the burns more closely, "Sorry Naruto but we can't go anywhere with Sasuke's wounds as bad as they are."

The Uzumaki snorted.

"Inara I'm _fine_!" Sasuke tried to get up and quickly found he couldn't.

"Uh huh sure, it's not safe here. Someone's bound to see the smoke and come investigating. We're in no condition to take on fresh enemies."

"Naruto's right Sasuke, you need medical attention and we need to get our hands on a scroll. So no more arguing! If you can't walk I'll just carry you."

"PUT ME DOWN DAMN IT!" yelled the clan heir as Inara lifted him on to her back.

"GGRR quit moving! You're not as light as you look either!"

**Three Miles South…**

Inara dumped her load on to the ground.

The black haired genin hit the dirt with a thud and a grunt of pain.

"Alright let's take a look. Sasuke if I'm going to heal _all _burns, your shirt's going to have to come off."

"I don't think so."

Inara's eyes flickered to blue and barred her teeth, "Don't make me remove it for you!" she growled.

The Uchiha gulped, "N- no ma'am." He removed the clothing without any further argument. Raw skin covered his back and chest, some areas black; burnt all the way down to muscle.

The girl grimaced, she had never seen some one with flame damage this bad still be able to fight the way he had. "This might sting, Naruto hold him down will you?"

"What?" Sasuke asked with an alarmed look on his face. How painful was this going to be?

The blonde kept the Uchiha's arms at his sides as Inara placed her hands on the injuries.

The Sharingan wielder hissed.

"I haven't even done anything yet!" the Kunoichi scolded.

Naruto couldn't help but laughing.

**Meanwhile…Back at the Burn Site…**

"My my my, now what do we have here?" yellow eyes danced with joy at the sight of three scorched bodies.

"Hm… How unfortunate, they were my favorites. Sasuke and the others must be stronger than I thought."

A white haired teen with round glasses appeared in a swirl of leaves, "Lord Orochimaru! We have a fix on the Uchiha's position!"

The Sanin jumped, "Damn it Kabuto how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?!"

"My sincerest apologies. What's your next plan of action?" Kabuto bowed deeply.

"I think it's time to pay my daughter and her little friends as visit." Orochimaru pulled a layer of skin off his face to reveal his true features. "I have no use for this anymore. After all what use is it if Inara doesn't recognize her own father?"

"What should I do with these?" Kabuto nudged Dosu's corpse with his foot.

The snake summoner smiled, "I still have use for them, stand back. REANIMATION!" The burned bodies rose slowly from the dirt.

"There that's better now isn't it?" Orochimaru asked the three zombies, "I want you three to continue as if nothing has happened! Fail me and you'll die again, this time much more slowly. Understand?"

The Sound Nin nodded their heads, with blank looks on their faces.

"Go now!" the Sanin gestured them to depart.

**With Team Seven…**

"There that should about do it, but I still would try to refrain from stressing yourself too much." Inara wiped her forehead and replaced her headband. It had taken three calorie supplement pills but at least her teammate was able to move again.

Sasuke put his shirt and pants back on; apparently the burns had even reached his legs. There was some scarring but most of it was unnoticeable.

Inara's head snapped up, drawing in a few quick breaths she recognized the stench of burnt skin and hair.

"You guys stay here I'll be right back."

"What? Inara where're you going?" Naruto tried to follow.

"Stay here and keep Sasuke company. I'll be fine I promise." She reassured him.

"Alright but if anything happens to you…I'll have to kick your ass."

Inara laughed, "Noted" and disappeared into the trees.

Naruto rejoined Sasuke who had finished dressing.

"You think she'll be okay?" the blonde asked.

"C'mon this is Inara we're talking about. There's no way in hell she's going to be alright."

"I giver her ten minutes to get back here before I go after her."

The Uchiha laughed, "I give her five."

**With Inara…**

The white haired girl stopped suddenly and picked a few black hairs off a nearby branch; she held them under her nose and inhaled a few times to catch the scent. There was no doubt about it; she knew who the owner was. The smell of death clung to the hair as thickly as oil; the tangy smell of blood flooded her nostrils. Inara sneezed to clear her sinuses and sprinted forward.

The smell of burnt flesh grew stronger and stronger, the Kunoichi stopped; she had found her target.

"Com out you bastard I know you're here!"

"Tut tut daughter where did you learn such language?" Orochimaru stepped out from behind a tree.

Inara's yellow eyes flashed, "What the hell were you thinking sending Rejgi after us?!"

Orochimaru held a finger to his lips, "SSSHHHHHH they'll hear you."

The Ayanomi stole a glance behind her to make sure no one was there. The Sanin stepped forward, arms outstretched for an embrace. Inara took to a nearby tree.

"I see your reflexes have improved, but why do you avoid me?"

The Kunoichi glared at him from the branch she was perched on, "Because you've never been the affectionate type, why start now?"

Orochimaru put his arms down, "You're right, I haven't been much of a father to you have I?

"I thought you were dead all these years and now you show up when I least expect it?! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK?!" Inara shouted.

The man laughed, "You remind me of your mother, just as strong, determined and noisy!"

The girl snorted, "Enough with the past memories! Why are you here?" she jumped down from the tree limb.

"Oh my intentions are quite harmless…to a point."

Inara tilted her head to one side, "I'm listening."

"Well as you know I'm searching for a new body. Have you found any candidates?"

The demon girl shook her head.

Orochimaru smiled, "Oh but I have…it's that Uchiha… the one on your team."

Inara's eyes widened, her breathing became rapid.

"Tell me my daughter…what are your connections to him? No emotional attachments I hope?" Orochimaru raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"It's…complicated." Inara said playing with the bracelet Sasuke had given her.

"Good, good. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to test him…to see if he's worthy. You know my expectations."

"And if he doesn't meet them?" a hint of hope sounded in the Ayanomi's voice.

The Sanin smiled evilly, "Kill him."

Inara inhaled sharply, "W-what?"

"I said kill him. Unless you don't think you can. Then I'll have to do it and you know how I like to watch my victims suffer. It would be an easier death if you did it. If you have any emotional connections hindering you, remember the end you bring will be quick and painless."

"NO!"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes; no one defied him, "What was that?"

"I won't do it!" Inara growled.

"Wanna bet?" the snake Sanin held up a hand, with it he formed a hand sign.

Burning pain shot through Inara's curse marks, she fell to her knees screaming in agony. As soon as it had come, the tortuous feeling ended, leaving her sweating and gasping for air.

"You forgot about that didn't you? It hurts doesn't it? And I was holding back. Now I'll ask you again…will you fight him?"

"N-never!"

"WRONG ANSWER WRECH!"

The curse seals where activated again, this time with more power. Inara doubled over in pain, screaming loud enough to wake the dead. Seconds seemed like hours as the burning increased, then subsided.

"Last chance, next time I'll kill you." Orochimaru hissed, "Will you do it?"

Blood ran freely down Inara's chin as she stood up, "What do you want me to do?"

The Sanin smiled, "I'll leave you to figure it out. You're a smart girl." He turned to leave, "Oh, before I forget. You've met Kabuto I imagine?"

Inara nodded painfully.

"What do you think of him? Personally I think you two would make a nice match."

The girl recoiled.

Orochimaru laughed, "I thought as much. Oh well if you choose to stick to your pathetic clan's traditions I won't stop you."

"What do you mean?" Inara asked, this whole ordeal was getting confusing.

The black haired man covered his mouth with his hands, "Oh dear I've said too much. Well your friends will be here soon so I'll take my leave. I want you to have this by the way" He threw her an earth scroll and disappeared into the forest before Inara could ask him more.

The Kunoichi caught the parchment and put it in her shuriken pouch. Now they were guaranteed to pass the exam.

"INARA WHERE ARE YOU?!" Naruto's voice rang clearly through the air.

Her teammate's emerged from the foliage a few seconds later.

Sasuke was at her side immediately when he saw the tears in her eyes, "What happened? Are you okay?" he reached out to touch her arm, she pulled back defensively.

"I'm fine! Just leave me alone and stay out of my business!"

Both genin had hurt expressions on their faces.

Naruto walked up to her, "But Inara we just…" he was cut short when the Kunoichi held a kunai against his throat.

"I said leave me alone!" she growled before taking to the trees in attempt to be rid of her tormenters.

"What the hell is her problem?" the blonde asked rubbing where the kunai had touched him.

Sasuke looked off in the direction the girl had taken, "I don't know, but something is defiantly wrong…and I'm going to find out what it is." He sprinted off in the same direction.

"Hey wait for me I'm coming too!"

AN: OROCHIMAUR YOU HOLE!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU! nothing happens Okay I give up. GGGAAAHHH those fight scenes are sssooo hard to write! So…many…movements! Again I'm really sorry this took so long but I've been really busy not to mention sick! I'm leaving for South Dakota on the 30th and won't be back until around the 8th or so, I'll try to bring my computer with me but there aren't any guarantees on that happening. I know this chapter was kind of fuzzy so if you have any questions just ask or review me and I shall try to end your strife. **PLEASE REVIEW!!!! **


	13. Broken Trust

AN: WHOOHOO!!! Man the Black Hills are awesome!! I wrote most of this chapter on the way there. It's a 24 hour drive round trip. So anyway thanks for all the nice reviews! I thought the last chapter was a little fuzzy but you people understood it well done you all deserve a cookie!! Tosses cookies Yeah so big surprise Orochimaru is Inara's father. If you guys picked up on it before the last chapter kudos to you I was dropping hints like crazy! I mean come on; they both have the same eye color! Who else in the series has yellow eyes? Currently Inara's pissed at herself for what she has to do and at her father for telling her to do it, that's why she's taking it out on her teammates. Oh and to all those people who said I made Naruto weak, problem solved, halleluiah he is so quit whining PLEASE! One last note before I start this chapter, I'm really sorry for all the cursing and swearing in **Reunion** but I was mad when I wrote it so…heh heh I'll try to cut down on it. Ja'ne Anbu-chan.

**Broken Trust**

Naruto turned the deer meat over the fire carefully. It had taken them a whole day to track the animal and slaughter it; rabbit meat was becoming tasteless so the blonde had suggested they go after bigger prey. In the end it was really Naruto who had brought the stag down with his shadow clones.

_"Hey guys I got it!" the Uzumaki beamed and held up a bloody kunai._

_Sasuke dug his hands deep into the pockets of his shorts, "Good job baka, now clean it out."_

_"Uh what? Why do I have to? I killed it, you do it." He handed the black haired boy the stained weapon._

_Sasuke took a step backward, "Sorry dobe, you killed it you clean it." _

_Naruto rolled up his sleeves, "Why you…"_

_"Both of you knock it off!" Inara snarled, her yellow eyes cold as ice. "Naruto you killed it so you have to clean it, Sasuke you help cut the meat into strips, we can dry them and eat while on the move. I'll start the fire." _

The white haired Kunoichi sat a few yards away from the boys as they prepared the meal; she hugged her knees thinking with a sad look on her face.

_I'm sure if I fought him he would easily pass, but if he didn't…I would have to…Sasuke…_ she shook her head to clear the offending thoughts away. _ I could just leave…the only risk is death, but what do I care…death would be a welcoming this right about now. _She looked up at the boys, they sure did get along well now, it was almost as if they had been friends forever. _But then they can't pass the exam and Father would only hunt them down again. No I have to stay; I have to fight…no matter how much I don't wish to._

Hot venison was shoved under her nose, the smell made her want to gag.

"Come on Inara foods done!" Naruto smiled down at her.

"Looks like your cooking skills aren't limited to noodles anymore baka, this is actually eatable." Sasuke took a bite of the meat and swallowed, "Try some Inara it's really good. Naruto can actually cook!"

"WILL YOU QUIT TALKING AS IF I'M NOT HERE?" shouted the blonde over his shoulder. He turned back to Inara, "Please? You haven't eaten in two days! You gotta be starving by now." He held the food right under Inara's nose trying to tempt her into taking it. But she just looked away.

"I'm not hungry." She said quietly.

"Are you suuurreee?" Naruto fanned the smell of the venison in the girl's direction.

"Just leave me alone damn it!" the Ayanomi slapped the food out of her teammate's hand. It splattered to the ground making a mess.

Shocked looks covered both male genin's faces as Inara sat there glaring at them.

The Kunoichi hugged her knees again, "I'm…sorry I'm just not hungry at the moment, thanks anyway."

Naruto folded his arms across his chest, "Well no more bitchy pills for you miss crabby ass."

Sasuke shook his head, _the rift between those two is getting deeper and deeper with each passing day…soon they'll be enemies, and I'm caught in the middle._ The Uchiha shuddered, breaking up a fight between his teammates was the last thing he wanted to do. He got up, walked up behind Inara and wrapped his arms around her neck loosely.

"You don't have to eat if you don't want to…but it would make me feel a lot better of you did."

The girl slipped out from his grasp, "It's time to go," she said dousing the campfire flames, "We still have to get to Hokage tower before dusk. Move out!"

The boys looked at each other, when did she start acting like the leader? Deciding it would be better not to press the issue, the black and blonde genin ran to catch up with their headstrong teammate.

**A Few Hours Later…**

"Just admit it Inara; you're lost!" Naruto shouted from behind as he and Sasuke ran as fast as they could to keep up with the girl.

"No I'm not I know exactly where we are!" the Kunoichi skidded to a stop, "Okay I'm ninety percent positive I've seen that tree before." She pointed at a large oak, (which didn't help much because all the surrounding trees were oak as well.)

"What are you talking about they all look the same!" shouted the blonde. Sasuke took a back seat when it came to arguments like this, he didn't care who led as long as they passed the exam.

"No it's not!" Inara yelled, "This one's…greener than the others!"

The Uzumaki narrowed his eyes, "That's it Inara you're paranoid and I'm leaving."

Sasuke raised a black eyebrow, "Are you gonna take that from him?" he looked at Inara, his words where enough to get her angry. _A little fight shouldn't hurt; it'll give them the chance to blow off some steam. _ The Uchiha though to himself, if things go too out of hand he'd step in to make sure no one was killed.

Inara stomped in Naruto's direction eyes narrowed, "Baka get back here right now!" she demanded.

"No, I'm not some dog you can boss around. I do what I want when I want! Right now I want to leave and you're not going to stop me!"

"WANNA BET!" Inara drew Kunatzu and leapt into the air, she swung the claymore down. Sparks danced in front of their eyes as Naruto unsheathed Souhi to block the attack.

He shoved her away and swung low. Inara fell back a few feet and jumped just as Naruto's sword sliced the clothing around her knees. She aimed for his side; an injury there would be enough to knock him out from blood loss.

The Uzumaki sidestepped dodging Inara's sword completely. He spun around and brought the red metal in for a blow to the shoulder. The Kunoichi met his movements; glowing sparks hit the grass and died as the two genin raged on in their fight for dominance.

Sasuke watched from a nearby tree, sword fights between Inara and Naruto, as he had learned, could be quite dangerous. Both his teammates matched each other in strength and speed. Metal sang through the air and clashed together blocking the other's attacks. This continued for a half hour before Inara drew blood.

Taking Kunatzu in two hands, she fed as much chakra into it as she physically could without passing out. The claymore glowed white with power. Naruto rushed in for another attack. Inara raised the sword high above her head until the blonde Nin was a few yards away.

The Kunoichi slashed the open air with the sword, Naruto raised Souhi to block the attack; the gesture was futile. Upon the downward swing all the chakra Inara had pent up inside it was unleashed in an instant creating a wave of destructive power towards anyone fool enough to stand in the way.

The wave hit Naruto square in the chest ripping his jacket from his left shoulder to his right hip. He lay on his back gasping for air; the wound was dangerously close to the lungs. Luckily it hadn't been aimed to kill.

Sasuke jumped down from the tree as Inara advanced towards her "enemy".

"INARA THAT'S ENOUGH!" the Uchiha stood in front of Naruto. If she wanted to get to the blonde, she would have to go through him first.

_"Get out of my way."_ a new voice intertwined with the Ayanomi's. Inasaki had awoken once again.

"S-Sasuke…move…I can…still fight." The injured blonde stumbled to his feet, clutching his chest to keep as much blood as possible from staining the earth he stood on.

"I think someone is a little over confident in their abilities." The Uchiha glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah wanna help me take her down a few pegs?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, why not. I've been meaning to get a little exercise lately."

The black dragon barred her fangs, _"Fools, you don't stand a chance! I'll kill you both here and NOW!" _

Orange flames burst from Inasaki's mouth scorching the ground were Naruto and Sasuke as been seconds before. She whirled around; Sasuke took a defensive stance Garyuu held firmly in his fist.

"Inara, I know you're in there. Don't make me do this!" he warned.

The demon lashed out with its tail trying to catch the Uchiha off guard, the attack was too high; the black haired boy ducked to easily avoid it.

Sasuke slashed at the black paws, sparks ignited the grass as the sword glanced off the scales.

Inasaki chuckled, _"Foolish human, no weapon can penetrate my armor!" _

The Uchiha smirked, "I didn't need to injure you, just distract you. NARUTO NOW!"

A flash of orange landed on the dragon's nose. In his hand, the blonde held a thick rope with which he used to tie the monster's mouth shut to prevent any more breath attacks.

The dragon shook her head in anger, trying to rid herself of the clinging orange parasite. Inasaki thrust her head back, Naruto when flying and landed safely on the demons back between the white spikes that covered its spine. Not knowing what else to do the Uzumaki gripped the spike in front of him for dear life as the dragon beneath him took to the sky.

Sasuke ran on the ground trying to keep Inasaki in sight and to catch Naruto if he should fall.

"BAKA JUMP!"

"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!" A fall from one hundred feet in the air would be enough to kill anyone.

The black demon climbed higher and higher, _"Do I look like a pack horse to you? Get off me!" _ She took a sudden turn to the left hoping to dislodge the blonde.

Naruto clung like a tick refusing to fall, "For get it Inara I ain't going nowhere!"

_"We'll see how long you last once the air becomes too thin for you to breathe!" _

The demon's threat was not an idle one; she kept flying higher and higher.

Naruto was beginning to see stars. Taking great caution to not lose consciousness, the Uzumaki worked his way towards the dragon's throat. Blood started running down his nose, the air was so thin he could hardly breathe still he kept working, determined to win this battle.

By the time he reached Inasaki's neck, ice had begun to form on his jacket and was freezing all the way up his arm. If he was going to do something, it would have to be now. Naruto was barely able to draw Souhi from its sheath without gasping like a fish out of water; it took all his strength to level the weapon to the demon's jugular.

"Bring…me down…or we…both die."

_"Hmph…you don't have the guts hatchling"_

The red blade easily cut through the soft scales on the dragon's neck, a thin line of blood trickled down Inasaki's neck.

"Try me!"

Realizing her passenger wasn't joking around, the black dragon dived head first towards the ground.

"What the hell did he do?" Sasuke stopped in his tracks to watch the demon girl's decent.

"Good move dobe now you're both going to die!" Calculating the distance in his head, the Uchiha heir sprinted towards the predicted crash sight.

"S-Slow down!" Naruto had his arms wrapped around Inasaki's neck; the rest of his body was level with his head.

_"You said to bring you down, so that's what I'm doing."_

"I didn't mean so fast that you'd kill us both!"

_"Oh why didn't you just say so?" _ The dragon opened its wings; air quickly filled them slowing the fall. The ground was still come up at an alarming speed despite the help.

"PULL UP! PULL UP YOU STUPID BEAST!"

_"As you wish." _

Black paws skimmed the tops of the oak trees as the demon leveled out and sank beneath the tree line to land exactly where Sasuke was waiting.

Naruto leapt off the dragons back as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

_"We finish this now humans!"_

Sasuke shook his head, "Whoa! What was that?"

_"It's called telepathy I'm speaking to you from inside you're heads. I can read you're every thought, every movement." _

Naruto glared at her, _I don't care if she can freeze time. I'm not going to lose!_

Sasuke began grinding his teeth together, _where the hell did this kind of power come from? I know she wasn't this strong when we fought Zabuza! _

Inasaki growled menacingly, "_You're right, I have gotten stronger. Inara isn't the only one who benefits from her training. _

Sasuke's fists shook with anger, "WHERE'S INARA?!" He demanded.

_"Oh she's here inside me,"_ the dragon pointed to its chest, _"Her existence is slowly fading. Soon this body will be mine to keep. It'll be as if she never existed. _

"BRING HER BACK!" Sasuke spat, his hand reached for Garyuu's hilt.

_"Ah ah ah little one…you kill me Inara dies as well." _

"Then we'll just beat her out of you!" Naruto leapt forward kunai in one hand Souhi in the other.

The dragon sent him flying into a tree with a flick of its tail.

_"I told you I can read your movements."_

"Oh yeah then read this! _Kanton: Gkakyu no Jutsu_!" Flames shot out of the Uchiha's mouth burning the dragon's front legs and chest.

The demon nodded her head sending Sasuke's flames right back at him!

Sasuke's shirt was singed when he jumped to the side. _Damn it, she's too strong. _

The Uchiha looked in Naruto's direction, the blonde stared back at him and nodded, he knew what to do.

While Sasuke distracted her, Naruto snuck around behind the dragon and shimmied up a tree.

"UP HERE YOU OVERGROWN GEKKO!"

Inasaki spun her head around; that was the Uchiha's queue.

Gripping Garyuu in both hands, he ran forward yelling like a mad man between the demon's legs. Luck was on his side, the dragon was too distracted with Naruto to notice his attack. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sasuke thrust the claymore up into the beast's side.

Inasaki gave a roar of pain before falling to her knees.

Sasuke bolted out from underneath as fast as he could, but not fast enough that the demon's tail spikes slashed open his back from the right shoulder to the middle of his back.

Inara struggled to her feet clutching her injury; the wound had been serious enough to force her to change forms.

"Inara are you okay?!" Naruto jumped down from the tree to aid his friend.

A smirk played across the girls face as she reached for a kunai.

"You really had us worried th-ACK!" The Kunoichi's kunai found itself imbedded in the blonde's chest. He pulled it out un-phased to turn it on its owner.

Inara knocked the kunai away with her fist, with her other hand she lifted Naruto off his feet and pinned him to a tree by the neck.

"Care to try that again?" Inara growled. The Uzumaki starred horrified into her ice blue eyes. She hadn't fully changed back.

"Answer me!" the Kunoichi tightened her grip on the blonde's throat, the ring on her middle finger cut his skin drawing a quick flow of blood.

The white haired genin squeezed as hard as she could. Naruto clawed at her hands trying in vain to make her release her grip.

"If you're not going to answer I guess you don't mind dying. Say goodbye!" Inara's eyes were filled with bloodlust.

"JA'NE!" Sasuke's foot slammed into the girls face knocking her away from the blonde genin.

The Ayanomi landed heavily on her side. Shaking her head to clear off the blackness, Inara drew a kunai and bolted forward screaming her battle cry.

Sasuke wielded his own kunai and braced himself, 4 feet…2 feet…NOW! The black haired genin brought his weapon up to block the attack. Because the Kunoichi had been at such close range the Uchiha's aim had been off; instead of blocking the attack he had accidentally slashed open Inara's face from the top of her cheek to the bottom of her forehead.

Blood dripped to the ground the white haired girl stood there eyes wide open in shock. When she looked up Sasuke saw the damage he had done, the cut had gone right through the middle of the girl's left eye, amazingly the organ was unscathed.

Teeth bared, Inara wiped the blood away from her eye.

"That's going to leave a nice scar…but it'll be nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you!" The Kunoichi took a step forward before crumpling to the earth. Behind her Naruto sheathed his sword.

"That should keep her quiet for a while."

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, "What did you do to her?" he walked forward and saw the blood at the base of the girl's neck.

"Ah you knocked her out?"

"She shouldn't have put such big gem in the hilt of this thing." Naruto touched Souhi's hilt

Both genin laughed. Sasuke knelt down and picked Inara up bridal style.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? She just tried to fricking kill us! Now you're bringing her with?" Naruto was clearly unhappy.

"We can't just leave her here. Besides we need her if we're going to pass this test."

"Screw the exams! We can take it again next year. What makes you so sure she's not going to go psycho on us again and kill us in our sleep? We can't trust her anymore, not as long as that _thing_ is inside her!"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, "You're one to talk Nine Tailed Fox Demon! You and she are exactly the same! You just happen to have better control than she does! You went crazy back on the bridge and we didn't abandon you! And I'm not about to do that to her."

"But that battle was different. I never attacked you guys."

"I know which is why we need to help her. The Inara I know would never hurt her friends. Someone must have put her up to it."

Naruto cocked his head to one side, "Who?"

Sasuke looked down at the Kunoichi's limp figure, she sure was lighter than he thought, probably from not eating, "I don't know but I'm going to find out. You with me?"

The blonde sighed, "Yeah but if she slits your throat in the middle of the night don't come crying to me."

**Hokage Tower…Dusk…**

"What the hell happened to her?"

"It's a long story Kakashi sensei right now Inara needs medical attention and fast!"

The Jonin held up his hands, "Whoa whoa there Sasuke all three of you need healing but before we do anything I need the scrolls that you captured."

The Uchiha chucked the parchment in the former ANBU's direction.

"There can we go now?"

A few seconds later doctors and nurses came to see to Squad seven's wounds. Inara was place in the ICU for a fractured skull and sever malnutrition. An IV was placed in her arm to feed her intravenously. Sasuke was at her side every step of the way making sure the doctors didn't do something to harm Inara further.

"Is she going to need surgery?" he asked.

"I don't think so, the fracture is mending nicely and the IV should help her gain some weight back." The doctor finished bandaging the Kunoichi's head, "There that ought to do it. It's up to her now. Young man, may I have a word with you?"

Sasuke nodded and followed the doctor reluctantly out into the empty hallway.

The doctor leaned up against a wall and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"So tell me, when you were in the forest did you eat well?"

"What does that have to do with Inara's condition?" Sasuke demanded.

"Please bear with me here, since neither you nor your other teammate appears to be underweight we're trying to figure out what wrong with the white haired one. Now it could be a number of things, she could be sick, have a tapeworm, or we can assume the worst and diagnose anorexia. Your answer will tell us what to do to make your friend healthy again."

The Uchiha thought through the entire week, he never remembered being hungry. They had eaten well thanks to Inara's survival skills.

"Yeah we ate pretty well I guess, but during the last few days Inara started skipping out on meals and swallowing soldier pills as if they were candy. We tried to get her to eat but she refused every time. She even got violent a few times."

The doctor nodded, "And there in lies our answer. Sounds like Inara has an extreme case of anorexia."

The Uchiha was having trouble following, "What's anorexia?"

"Anorexia is an eating disorder; the victim refuses to eat and literally starves to death. During that time they become irritable, refuse to eat, they prefer to be alone, and wear bigger clothing to hide their bodies."

Sasuke was horrified, "Can't you give her some medicine? Why would she do something like this? She's not going to die is she?"

"Okay okay calm down sonny, no there is no medicine to cure it. The illness is completely up to her to defeat by eating again. Why she would do this is quite simple, she thinks she's too fat."

"What the hell kind of excuse is that?" the black haired genin shouted. "Inara's always been small, why would she suddenly decide she's fat?"

"Well girls her age start looking at boys, do you know if she likes someone or has a significant other?"

Sasuke nodded, "That would be me."

"I see, have you ever told her she's big? Or told her to lose weight?"

"Never. I think she's perfect the way she is."

The doctor laughed, "She better hang on to you, not many boys your age are committed enough to say such things. As far as I can see your girlfriend is going to live, if _you_ can convince her to eat again."

"Why me? What can I do?"

"It seems to me she's trying to either impress you, or stand up to your qualifications as a girlfriend. In short she thinks you might dump her if she gains too much weight."

Sasuke snorted, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

The doctor took of his glasses and started to clean them, "Yes, silly but sadly true. We'll keep the IV in until she wakes up; if she still refuses to eat we can force feed her through a tube. However for that we'll need consent from her parents."

The genin looked down at the floor, "She doesn't have any…none of us do."

"Oh I'm sorry. In that case we'll need your permission."

Sasuke looked the man directly in the eye, "I want you to do everything you can to make her better. If she dies…" he fell silent unable to think of what he would do if he lost her.

"Relax I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure your Inara make it through this. Her chances are good but they would be even better if you stayed with her maybe even talk to her if you feel comfortable with it. She may be unconscious but she can still hear you. We can have a cot brought in the room so you don't have to leave."

The Uchiha turned to walk away, "Thanks but that won't be necessary. The floor will feel like heaven compared to the dirt in that forest." He paused, "Wait what about Naruto and Kakashi sensei? Can't they stay with her too?"

The doctor shook his head, "Unfortunately due to the size of the room only the patient and one other person is allowed to stay in the facility. They're welcome however to stay the night in another room that is often used for surgery patient's families."

"Yeah okay I'm gonna go check on her now."

Inara lay bandaged in the hospital bed the only injury that wasn't covered was the slash across her left eye. Sasuke smiled, _it almost looks like Kakashi's_. The smile disappeared from his face, "Inara please wake up. I just want you to know…I love you for who you are. I don't care what you look like or what you weigh, it's your personality that matters to me and I don't want that to change. It's who you are. It's what I love most about you." He traced the scar over her eye with the tip of his thumb. She looked so peacefully when she slept.

Very carefully he removed her headband so her bangs fell over the top of her eyes. The Uchiha smiled warmly again and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Get well soon Inara." He looked outside, it was pitch black. Sasuke yawned, pulled up a chair next to the side of the bed and rested his arms on the sheets to use them as a pillow. He tried to stay awake to monitor Inara's progress as nurse after nurse came in to check up on them and to refill the IV bags. Eventually sleep won out and the black eyes closed, too heavy to stay open any longer.

**The Next Morning… **

The first thing Inara saw when she awoke was the IV sticking out of her arm. Without giving it another thought she quickly ripped it out and took the devices monitoring her heartbeat off so the sensors started going off like crazy making a loud racket.

Sasuke's head shot up when the nurses rushed in with an AED. One of the nurses nearly fainted when she saw Inara staring back at them quizzically. After much persuasion both nurses left the room satisfied that their patient wasn't going to die on them. Sasuke however wasn't as easy to convince.

"Sasuke I'm fine!" Inara pleaded.

"No you're not. What's this plan of yours to lose weight?"

"You knew about that?"

The Uchiha shook his head, "The doctors just told us. Inara this has to stop! You're not fat; you don't need to lose weight. I like you the way you are!"

Inara couldn't bear to look him in the eye any longer, "I didn't mean for it to go this far. I was just trying to be a better girlfriend that's all. Ino and Sakura, their both so thin."

Sasuke reached out to turn Inara's head back toward him, "Yeah because they got twigs for bones. One hit and they break like that," he snapped his fingers to make his point, "You however, can take a hit and fight on." The Uchiha punched her gently on the arm.

Inara wasn't about to give up just yet, "Yeah but you said that I was heavier than I look so I though you wanted me to…"

"So _that's _what this whole thing is about. Inara…that isn't your fault... I just need more training. Hell I bet half of your weight is muscle. And you need to eat to support it or your going to look like an old lady."

Inara laughed; when she did she felt the injury on her side protest. Her hands flew to the wound, "What the hell happened to me?"

The black haired genin rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Um yeah about that, you transformed and tried to kill us so we had to change you back before you disappeared forever so I kind of had to um…stab you in the side with Garyuu."

Inara's face fell, "Oh no, I was afraid of this."

"What? Afraid of what?"

The Kunoichi looked him directly in the eyes, "If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't tell Kakashi sensei or Naruto…promise?"

"Inara what the hell is this about? What's happening to you?"

The white haired girl sighed, "If I transform into Inasaki too many times in a year…the demonic power will seep into my heart, turning me into the purest form of evil in this universe has ever seen."

Sasuke remained silent, mental pictures of what could happen played before his eyes like a movie.

Inara's hand flashed in front of his face breaking his train of thought, "Then we'll have to train harder to make sure you don't transform again!"

"Together?"

"Together"

Inara reached out to hug her boyfriend that cared so much for her. She breathed in deeply, drinking in his scent. It was like a drug for her, something she needed to live. She finally pulled way when she noticed a black mark on Sasuke's left shoulder.

"Sasuke what's that?" she pulled the collar of his shirt down so she could get a better view of the mark. Her hand flew to her mouth, "T-that's…"

"SSSHHH! It's nothing I swear."

The smell of beef ramen invaded the couple's noses, "Yeah it's just a souvenir from a creepy snake dude with yellow eyes, said his name was Orochimaru." Naruto ate a mouthful of noodles, "It's weird though he said something about getting a new body and was only interested in attacking Sasuke. He also mentioned something about a test that mister pyro freak over there had passed. We kicked his ass of course." The blonde took another bite of ramen.

"I see the bump I gave you has healed, too bad about your eye though, I'm innocent on that account."

"_You_ knocked me out?" Inara asked she couldn't believe it.

"Yeah sorry about that WHOA!"

Inara had her teammate in a death hug, "Thank you thank you thank you!" she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Need…air!" Naruto's face was turning blue.

"Whoops sorry." Inara released the coughing blonde.

"Hey Inara glad to see your up…I got something for you." Kakashi tossed his student a scroll, "It came while you where asleep."

"Thanks sensei!" she tore open the scroll.

_Inara congratulations on passing the test, unfortunately Kabuto's team failed so he will no longer be tailing you. The reason for this letter is I wanted to tell you I've discovered who wronged you so long ago. Take care of yourself now. You'll be happy to know that your little boyfriend passed the test so you won't have to kill him. He still needs more training though; keep a close eye on him for me. I'll stop by soon to "pick him up." _

_Love Dad _

On the bottom of the letter where the writing stopped, was a jar symbol representing the Sand Village.

Inara threw the scroll towards Kakashi as if it were on fire, the Jonin caught it. His face paled when he read it.

"Sasuke let me see your curse mark." He demanded.

"What how did you…"

"Inara you too!"

"But sensei!"

"No buts! Both of you NOW!"

Inara and Sasuke knew it would be pointless to argue with their angry teacher so they did what they were told. Kakashi made Naruto leave the room for Inara's sake.

The Uchiha removed his shirt and turned around. The wound Inara had given him had completely healed thanks to the medicine the hospital had given him.

Kakashi inspected the mark carefully, "Okay I need to seal this as soon, today if possible, Inara your turn, Sasuke out."

The black haired genin replaced his shirt and left the room.

For dignity's sake Inara was allowed to keep her bra and underwear on as the Jonin looked at her curse marks.

"You've transformed recently haven't you?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah but…"

"Inara how many times do I have to tell you?!" You have to keep your emotions under control! If you don't you'll kill not only the enemy but your friends as well! Is that what you what?"

The Kunoichi stared at the floor, "No Sensei."

Kakashi sighed, "Alright, I'm going to have to seal your marks as well. It'll allow you to transform safely. Think of it as protection from the evil so it won't seep into your heart. You won't be as strong but it should be worth your while."

The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. A bright smile lit up her face, "Thank you Sensei!" she wrapped her arms around his torso.

Kakashi jumped but quickly relaxed, "Your welcome Inara," he stroked her hair as a father would do to his daughter, "Okay okay that's enough," the Jonin pried his student off of him, "Go get dressed." He ordered.

The former ANBU glanced at Inara's wrist after she had finished dressing, "Inara where did you get that?" he pointed as the bracelet.

"What this?" the white haired girl held up her hand so her teacher could see the leather, ring and clan symbol etched in the silver, "Sasuke gave it to me for my birthday, see that?" she pointed to the carving, "It's my clan insignia! He found it in his basement! Can you believe it?"

"Yes that's very interesting. A gift from a boy especially at his age isn't to be taken lightly, treat it well Inara."

The girl laughed, "I know it's never going to come off my hand. Well better go see what the boys are up to." She started to walk past Kakashi when he rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Just one more question, what on earth happened to your eye?"

"My eye?" Inara ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. "OH MY GOD!"

She emerged again looking a little distressed.

Kakashi smiled, "Are you trying to look more and more like me?"

His student's eyes widened in horror.

"It was a joke ha ha!"

"Sensei your sense of humor sucks."

**Cafeteria…A Few Hours Later… **

"Okay guys here's the scoop, now that this part of the exam is over the next will take place in one month. Until then you're to train excessively. You won't know you're opponents until the day of the match. You'll be fighting another team that also passed this test. It'll take place in the village arena; many people will be there to watch the matches including the Hokage and the Kazekage from the Sand Village."

Inara clenched her fists at the mention of the Sand Village.

Kakashi continued, "Now we won't have all month to train because Lord Hokage gave us a very top secret mission, A ranked, which we must perform."

Naruto raised his hand, "But why us?"

"Because we have the person with the most experience about the land we will be traveling to on our team."

The three of them looked at Inara.

Kakashi looked Inara in the eye, "Inara are you ready to return to your homeland?"


	14. New Mission

AN: Okay I'm back from South Dakota. I hope you all liked the last chapter. Surprisingly it didn't take me all that long to write. This chapter promises to be a hilarious one (well at least in my opinion) I've received a lot of very nice comments. THANK YOU SO MUCH! It's you the readers that keep me writing this…believe me when I say it's not easy, there have been plenty of times when I just want to quit. But then I read all the reviews you guys send me and they urge me to keep going. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Ok I forget to put a disclaimer on **Broken Trust** so therefore I will be putting two on this chapter.

I have no connections to Kishimoto sensei's work. It's all his, I can only hope to be as good as he is one day (that's probably not very likely)

Only Inara, Tenahei, and other names that are not mentioned in Naruto are my work, everything else…well you should know by now.

**New Mission**

Everyone looked at the white haired Kunoichi.

"Inara are you ready to return to your homeland?" asked Kakashi.

All the air was forced out of the girls lungs, "M-my homeland? We're going there? NO I CAN'T! I mean…_We_ can't."

"Inara just take it easy." Sasuke rested a hand on her shoulder, "It won't be only you, we'll all be there to help you if need be."

The Ayanomi began shaking uncontrollably, "No you don't understand, I can't go back there!"

Naruto tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, "Why not? Scared of something that happened in the past?"

Sasuke gave his teammate a warning glare. The blonde held up his hands signaling he didn't want any trouble.

Inara snorted, "Me? Scared of the past? Get real baka. It's the villagers I'm worried about. If they find out who I am, they'll force me to stay and rule over them. If that happens I won't be able to return here with you guys. And then there's the fact that they aren't entirely friendly towards other villages since the destruction of my clan. If we do go we can't be recognized at Konoha ninja."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, "And if they do find out?"

The Kunoichi shook her head slowly, "They'll kill us…with out mercy; in hopes of avenging the Ayanomi clan."

Naruto began laughing loudly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "I don't see how this is funny Naruto."

"I-I'm sorry but the answer is so simple!" he wiped a tear away from his eye, "I've got the perfect solution to all our problems."

Kakashi covered his masked face with his hand, "Oh no not that."

"Well sensei knows what I'm talking about." The blonde shoved a thumb in his teacher's direction.

Confused looks still covered Inara and Sasuke's faces.

Naruto slapped himself in the head, "I'm talking about a Jutsu that will disguise us. A little something I came up with myself. I call it _Oiroke no Jutsu_ (Sexy Technique)

It was Sasuke's turn to slap himself in the face, "Leave it to you to come up with the weirdest Jutsus baka."

Inara was confused, "Sexy Jutsu? What the hell does that do?"

Naruto smiled, "I guess it's time for a demonstration."

Kakashi and Sasuke groaned and followed the blonde out the door.

**Abandoned Ally…**

"Transform!" A cloud of smoke disappeared and in the spot Naruto had been standing, was a blonde girl with pigtails; she appeared to be about sixteen or so.

"And that's my Sexy Technique, it transforms the user into a hot version of the opposite gender." The girl winked, "This will work perfectly for our disguises! We can change our age, hair style, voices and of course our bodies! No one will know the difference." The blonde released the Jutsu turning back into his appropriate gender.

"Is it safe to look yet?" Sasuke had pulled his headband down over his eyes to avoid seeing…well…anything. The Uchiha pushed the forehead protector back into its proper place.

"NARUTO YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!" Inara jumped up and down.

"Heh heh thanks it's a really easy Jutsu and it doesn't take up a ton of chakra."

The Jonin stepped forward, "Play time is over, Naruto we'll use your technique as our mean of hiding ourselves. Right now I suggest we go pack...ship sails tomorrow at dawn."

The three genin nodded and left to pack for a very long trip.

"You two hold it!"

Sasuke and Inara froze in their tracks, "Did we forget something?" Kakashi asked, "We have to seal your curse marks. In order to do that we need somewhere quiet."

"We could go to my place," Inara suggested, "It's small but you can hear a pin drop."

"Excellent! I hope you don't mind a little blood on the floor though."

"What?"

**Inara's Apartment…**

"Sasuke you first… you'll be the easiest."

The Uchiha sat down in the middle of the floor shirtless, "Why do I not like the sound of this?"

"Probably because the word's Sasuke and easiest, were in the same sentence." Said the silver haired Kunoichi taking in the…scenery before her.

Kakashi knelt down next to his student, "Okay in order for this to work the mixture will have to contain half my blood and half your blood Sasuke. Inara I need an ink bowl."

The Ayanomi dug through the trunk at the end of her bed and returned with a clay bowl.

Kakashi drew a kunai from its holder and neatly sliced his forearm open letting the blood flow into the pottery.

Sasuke unrolled the training bandages from his arm; the Jonin nicked a vein allowing the crimson liquid to mix with his own. When the proportions were perfect, the Uchiha quickly rewound the tape around his limb soaking it red.

Dipping his finger into the blood Kakashi began writing the seals on the wooden floor in a circle were Sasuke was sitting.

Inara watched patiently, the whole process was very interesting to her. Before she had been at the mercy of her curse seals, but now it seems like there was a glimmer of hope for her to escape the iron grip of her father.

"_Fuja Hoin!_" (Curse Sealing) Kakashi shouted placing his hands on the black haired genin's mark. A flash of white filled the room and the thousands of seals began crawling on up the Uchiha's back towards the cursed heaven mark.

Sasuke yelled in anguish as the last of the seals disappeared into the curse mark. When they had finished the Sharingan wielder grasped his shoulder panting for breath.

"I…thought…you said…it wasn't going to hurt?"

The former ANBU gave his signature upside down U smile, "I said _much_. Alright your turn demoness."

Sasuke replaced his shirt; Inara nodded without complaint and began removing her clothing piece by piece.

The black haired boy headed for the door, "You're welcome to stay you know." Inara's voice rang in his ears.

The male genin stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly, "It seems to be impolite to be standing around here while you're in your…unmentionables."

"You mean bra and pan…"

Sasuke tackled her to the floor, pinning her arms above her head.

Inara gave him a seductive grin, "Oh so _that's _how you wanted it?"

A cold bucket of water splashed over them, Inara, thanks to Sasuke was only lightly misted by the freezing liquid.

"Sasuke down boy!" Kakashi scolded, "Although this would prove to be entertaining…may I remind you that messing around will smudged the seals."

The Uchiha heir pushed himself up off the floor, his black hair plastered to his face, "Sorry sensei, but she started it!" he pointed an accusing finger in the girl's direction.

Kakashi crossed his arms, "I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!"

Inara pretended to look flustered and put a hand to her mouth in mock surprise, "Oh sensei I didn't know you had…a Lolita complex." (Fetish for younger girls)

Sasuke's jaw dropped to the floor.

Kakashi looked flabbergasted, "But I…you…You're right Sasuke she did start it."

"Thank you sensei."

Inara pouted, "Two against one? That's not fair I didn't know it was a three-some!"

Both males in the room face vaulted to the floor, "Sasuke, I think you should keep a leash on your girlfriend."

Inara clapped both hands to her mouth and whispered in a breathy voice, "Oh sensei I didn't know you were into S&M as well!"

Sasuke jumped up and slapped his hand over her mouth, "Not another word."

Just to spite him Inara licked the inside of his hand, Sasuke pulled it away quickly.

"That's disgusting!" he yelled, getting freaked out slightly as she began to smile.

"Come on don't tell me you didn't find that enjoyable." Inara purred in his ear.

The Uchiha backed off instantly, "What the hell's gotten in to you?"

"I'm sorry but ever since your shirt came off my mind's been in the gutter. But don't worry I'll be a good girl now." She said giving him puppy eyes.

"I would hope so." Sasuke said running a hand through his hair distractedly.

A devilish smirk appeared on Inara's face, causing a cold shiver to run up his spine, "Oh don't worry, if I'm not you can always…punish me to your hearts desire."

Sasuke's face turned beet red, a tick formed over his right eye as his Uchiha calm finally snapped, "I'm leaving now."

"You do that." Kakashi said pretending as if nothing strange was going on.

Like a bat out of hell he ran from the room slamming the door behind him. The minute the door slammed to shut, Inara and Kakashi burst into laughter falling to the ground with tears streaming from their eyes.

Gasping for breath Inara got up from her position on the floor and gave Kakashi thumbs up, "You're right sensei I've never seen him lose his cool like that before."

The Jonin gave a lazy smile, "You know it, but if you ever meet a man by the name of Jiraiya be sure to thank him for the inspiration."

Inara gave a confused shrug, "If you say so sensei."

Kakashi got up and dusted himself off, "Now let's get this sealing over with."

AN:(That whole last bit was the product of Angel of the Godless and me at midnight just before a sugar crash)

**Konoha Gates…Next Morning…**

Kakashi stood with his back against the wall an orange book held in front of his eyes. His usual gravity deifying hair now hung loosely to the sides of his face, now that his headband had been left behind. Light grey contacts disguised his Sharingan. The Jonin had removed the flack vest marking him as a ninja and wore only a black sleeveless shirt with black pants. Any weapons necessary for the trip where tethered to his side by a chain.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears; the former ANBU closed his book and looked up.

In the distance he saw Naruto walking towards him. An orange sleeveless shirt and pants with black stitching covered the genin's body. When the blonde turned to look at something, Kakashi saw the symbol for Oni written in blue on the back of the sleeveless shirt. The sword Souhi was strapped firmly to his side, the blue sheath shimmering slightly in the sunlight.

"Hey sensei," Naruto said waving lazily, "Aren't Inara and Sasuke here yet?"

Kakashi shook his head; something told him the reason behind their tardiness was likely due to arguing about the…incident during the previous night.

The Uzumaki squinted off into the distance, "There they are…I think."

Sure enough the Ayanomi appeared with the Uchiha at her side.

Naruto and Kakashi stared wide eyed at their wardrobe change.

Sasuke sported a fish netting shirt, half black fading into white on the left side; black shorts covered his lower half. His training bandages still clung to his muscled limbs tightly. Like Kakashi and Naruto his hiate had been left at home, leaving his hair to fend for itself. Garyuu enhanced the Uchiha's appearance, with the black and white handle hovering over his right shoulder. A belt of kunai and shuriken wound its way around his waist as if to prevent anyone from hugging him.

Inara had a hurt look on her face indicating that Kakashi's intuition had been correct about the argument. The Kunoichi's outfit hadn't changed much, she still wore all black. However instead of a full shirt, a belly shirt with half sleeves clothed her torso. Embroidered into the material was a white dragon that snaked its way down and around her back ending at the bottom of her shirt. She still hadn't given up her pants despite the summer heat. Upon closer inspection the Jonin noticed that the pants zipped off into shorts. Kunatzu was strapped to its usual place across her back. The crimson and gold sheath glittered in the sunlight.

They stood in a circle around Kakashi awaiting their orders before Naruto broke the silence.

"Inara what the hell did you do to your hair?"

The Kunoichi fingered the silver locks, black streaks now spaced themselves evenly through out it. Her bangs, she had fashioned to fall around her eyes much like the Uchiha wore his, "Call it a symptom of the curse sealing if you will, their tied in with my human and demon chakra. My white hair was a sign of my demonic purity. This was my natural hair color when I was little." she said holding up a strand of black hair, the scar over her eye stretched as she glared.

"So does that mean my blonde hair is a sign of my demonic purity?" Naruto asked.

Inara rolled her eyes, "No my seals mixed my chakra and was meant to be a way of controlling me. Your seal is merely a cage to keep Kyuubi at bay."

"Huh well watta ya know."

Kakashi clapped his hands together to get his student's attention, "Now is not the time for a history lesson! Move out everyone."

**Ferry Boat…Dusk…**

"So Sensei what do we have to do to complete this mission?" Inara asked.

The Jonin put his book down on the railing of the ship to look at the waves below, "We're to gather information on a set of highly precious scrolls. What they contain I do not know. All that matters is we bring them back to Konoha safely."

Naruto gave an irritated sigh, "And this is A-ranked because?"

"The scrolls control the destiny of two Konoha residence, we don't want our neighbors tampering with fate."

Sasuke cracked his neck, "Seems like an awful lot of wasted time if you ask me." He turned on his heel and left.

The Uchiha heard a quiet knock on the door of cabin; "Come in." he said not bothering to remove his arm from over his face as he tried to catch some sleep.

The metal door opened then closed silently, Sasuke lifted his arm to see his visitor.

"Oh it's you." He placed his arm back over his eyes.

Inara looked hurt, "Sasuke what's wrong? Ever since the sealing you've been acting strange."

The black haired genin sat up suddenly, "_I've_ been acting strange? What about you huh? _You_ haven't been acting normally either! In fact your as far from normal as anyone's ever been!"

Inara took a hesitant step forward, "Sasuke I'm sorry it was just a joke. Sensei was trying to cheer us up. After my father ordered me to kill you and all? We were only trying to help."

The Uchiha glared at her eyes flashing dangerously, "I don't need your help! I'm not five anymore. I can take care of myself! And I especially don't need cheering up!" Sasuke was standing directly in front of the Kunoichi whose bottom lip was trembling uncontrollably. The Uchiha looked as if he was about to hit her when he turned away, "Just get out!" he hissed throwing a pillow in Inara's direction.

The silver haired girl dodged the pillow, tears began running down her face as she slammed the door shut behind her.

"Inara wait I…!" it was too late; the Kunoichi couldn't hear him any longer. Sasuke growled in anger and lashed out at a wall. A perfect imprint of his fist dented the cabin's interior above the Uchiha's bed. Knowing anger would only make matters worse, Sasuke allowed his eyes to close for some restless sleep.

**The Next Morning…**

The boat reached land towards midmorning while Team seven was eating breakfast. Kakashi and Naruto sat between the feuding couple to prevent a fight breaking out.

"Hey Inara could you pass the syrup?" the Uchiha asked as he cut his pancakes into bite size pieces.

The Kunoichi continued eating ignoring her teammate completely.

"Inara pass the milk please?" Naruto asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yeah sure thing." She handed the pitcher to the blonde and averted all her attention back to her food.

Kakashi sat reading his book; he had eaten long before his students had even awoken for the day. Now he followed the conversation carefully from behind the orange novel.

Sasuke tried again, "Inara could you pass the syrup?"

"Huh? I thought you didn't need help."

The Uchiha glared at her, "Never mind, forget it." He pushed his chair back roughly and stormed off.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his female student.

"What?" Inara asked her mouth full of waffle, "He started it."

The Jonin shook his head, they may be ninja, but they were still kids.

The squad left the ship at a small port. The heat of the desert hit them square in the face. After asking around for a few hours, they learned that the scrolls they sought were further inland, a three day trek across the desert to be exact.

By the time Team seven had purchased everything they needed to cross the wasteland it was high noon and the heat was just about enough to bring the males to their knees.

"Whew, I forgot how warm it gets here." Said Inara.

"Warm? It's a freaking oven out here! How does anything survive in a hellhole like this?"

Sasuke began walking forward, "Let's get this over with." Naruto and Kakashi followed. Inara looked around her; the scenery brought back painful memories of her past.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Inara lead the way, her pace was an unforgiving one. She practically ran over the sand dunes and leapt over the ravines that had once restrained large rivers.

Naruto tilted his head back to finish the last of the contents in his canteen, finding nothing he stowed it back in his white cloak. The blonde trudged on following the blue, black, tan garments in front of him.

Sasuke threw back the tan hood from his head and swallowed the last of his water. It was warm and stale but at least it quenched his thirst, if only for a few miles.

"Sensei, we're out of water." The Uchiha panted, his mouth was as dry as the sand he walked on.

Kakashi stopped, "I guess we could take a little break." The three genin sat down gratefully.

"Naruto are you out of water as well?" Inara asked. The blonde nodded his head.

"Here give me your canteens, you too Sensei." Three bottles were shoved in the girl's direction. She took them without saying a word and began to move her hand up and down smoothly over the surface of the sand.

"Inara what're you doing?" Asked the Jonin, he had never seen something like this before.

"SSHH" his student scolded him.

A few seconds later a small amount of water was pulled out of the earth. A little became a lot, the Kunoichi then directed the liquid into the empty canteens filling them to the brim. Inara replaced the caps and tossed the bottles back to their owners.

"There that should be safe to drink since it was filtered through the sand." The silver and ebony haired genin rose to her feet and continued on her way. They stopped to make camp just as the sun was disappearing over the horizon setting the desert sky ablaze with fiery reds, oranges, and yellows.

Dinner was eaten in silence. The heat had sapped the Konoha Nin of all their energy. Using Kasaki's chakra, Inara was able to create a dome of ice around her friends as they slept, by morning the demonic chakra had taken its toll, leaving the wielder dead tired.

Inara was permitted to sleep while Kakashi carried her piggyback across the sand. She woke up for short periods of time to refill canteens and to check up on where they were. The midday heat proved to be too much for the squad. The Jonin ordered that they all rest to keep their energy levels up.

"Inara did you really cross this place when you were eight?" Naruto asked wiping his brow.

The Kunoichi nodded, "Yes, it was harder then. I didn't have full control of my power yet so I had to be extremely restrictive on how much water I drank."

The group pushed on after a half hour's rest. It didn't help much, the heat coupled with low food supplies just made everyone ever more tired and irritable.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" Sasuke growled, "I've had enough of this damn heat!"

Kakashi turned around, "I know Sasuke, we all have, but there's nothing we can do about it. We have to keep going or die out here and if that happens there wont be anyone to stop Itachi."

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes; he couldn't allow his older brother to live while he just gave up in the middle of the stinking desert.

"Wait guys! I have an idea!" Inara shouted, "I didn't want to put them through this because I wasn't sure how well they'd hold up but, I guess we'll just have to find out. _Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" (Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu)

When the smoke cleared four horses stood waiting for them. Tenahei walked up to Inara, "You called mistress?"

The Kunoichi rubbed the tiger striped buckskins nose, "Hey boy, you think you and your friends could give us a lift?"

The stallion turned to look behind him, to look at squad seven, "Of course we can, climb on up." Tenahei lowered his head to Inara could grab a handful of his mane and set herself in the middle of his back.

"Come on guys, we'll take it easy so you can get used to the movement, then we'll pick up the pace." The black and white haired genin directed the horse beneath her with her legs.

Sasuke mounted a black stallion with a white mane and tail, Inara rode up beside him, "That's Ashik, Tenahei's half brother. He's usually pretty laid back but you might want to hold on tight just in case, he's been known to buck."

Some of the color drained from the Uchiha's face. He wrapped the white locks of mane around his fist again for extra grip.

Ashik pawed the ground irritated, "That hurts boy!"

Inara trotted back to help Naruto and Kakashi with their horses. Naruto had chosen a palomino mare called Makuri. The pair hit it off right away, sharing jokes and telling stories.

Tenahei smiled, "Looks like Makuri finally found a rider she can relate to."

Inara laughed, "And it looks like Naruto found someone to talk to. She sure is a pretty little filly."

"Yes she is. She's my niece, just turned two."

"Really? I didn't know Ashik had foals."

"She's his first; her mother did a good job raising her before she was killed by that mountain lion. After that my half brother had to step up to the plate."

"Then she fits right in." Inara said quietly, "Hey who's the white Kakashi's riding?"

"Hm?" Tenahei turned his head to look behind him, "Oh that's Skye, Makuri's mate."

"Isn't she a little young to have a mate?"

Tenahei shook his head, "Nope two is about the time fillies and colts start paring up. Sort of like you and the black haired one."

"Sasuke and I are boyfriend girlfriend, not mates." The Kunoichi clarified.

"Well whatever you call it, you love each other right?"

"We're…going threw a bit of a rough patch."

The stallion shook his mane, "All pairs do…it's a part of life. You'll make it through mistress, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks Tenahei." Inara leaned forward and hugged the horse's neck, "Come on lets show these guys what real riding is!" she kicked her mount gently in the sides.

"I was beginning to think you'd never ask!" The buckskin shot forward ahead of Ashik and Makuri. Inara's teammates spurred their horses to follow and soon fell into step behind her.

The group covered a lot of ground thanks to their mounts. By the time the sun was beginning to set, Kakashi's squad came across an oasis. Taking advantage of the crystal clear water, everyone washed away the sweat and grime of the past few days.

The Uchiha stayed in the shallows while his teacher and teammates dove from the tops of the surrounding trees into the water below.

"Come on Sasuke that water's great!" Naruto shouted as Inara snuck up behind him.

The black haired genin shook his head, "No thanks, water and I don't get along."

Inara burst out of the water behind Naruto and dunked him under. Sasuke sweat dropped.

"Rule number one; never let your guard down." Kakashi's foot shoved the Uchiha off the ledge of rock into the chilly waters.

Sasuke's head shot out of the water, "Rule number two always expect the unexpected." A shadow clone swing down from a tree and pushed the Jonin back into the liquid before disappearing.

Night fell peacefully; Team seven was laughing telling jokes and just plain goofing around. The fire burned brightly, crackling softly.

Inara sat down next to Sasuke while Naruto and Kakashi went to gather more fuel for the fire.

"So…how're you and Ashik getting along?"

"Fine." The Uchiha lied; the stallion had bucked him off three times that day.

The Kunoichi sighed, "Sasuke…about the other day…I'm…"

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing, it was my fault. I let my anger get the better of me. I didn't mean what I said." The black haired boy continued to stare into the flames, "You were just trying to cheer me up. But for future reference just be yourself okay?" He smiled and turned to look at her.

Inara smiled back before covering her mouth to stifle a yawn, "It's been a long day. I'm beat." The Ayanomi rested her head in the Uchiha's lap and started twirling a lock of his hair between her fingers.

Sasuke closed his eyes enjoying her attention. Inara stopped playing with his hair and sat up. The Uchiha opened one eye curiously; he felt his teammate's arms wrap around his neck as she leaned in slowly, her eyes closed.

Their lips met tenderly, their hearts racing after a few seconds. Sasuke reached out to pull Inara closer to him. Heavenly seconds ticked by as the two lost all track of time in each other's presence.

"Ah hem." Kakashi cleared his throat.

The couple pulled apart looking quite embarrassed. Inara blushed so fiercely had she not had white hair; she could have passed for Hinata when ever Naruto was around.

"K-Kakashi sensei when did you get back?"

"About thirty seconds ago actually. Apparently its enough for you two to start stirring up trouble."

Naruto emerged into the firelight, "Hey sensei where do you want this?" He held up his armload of sticks.

**The Next Morning…**

"The village is only a half day's ride from here. So Naruto we need to see how that Jutsu goes again." Inara said.

"Right, first picture in your head, your idea of the perfect girl, or guy in your case Inara. Then form that hand signs and," POOF! The blonde boy was now a sixteen year old blonde girl.

"Sensei why don't you try first?" she cooed.

A vein over Inara's eye began to throb, "Don't flirt baka!" she shouted hitting the "girl" over the head.

"Ouch! Sorry."

Kakashi flipped through the pages of his book furiously before Naruto knocked it to the side, "Sensei that's cheating! You have to come up with by yourself!"

The Jonin glared at him, "Fine," a poof of smoke later the former ANBU transformed into a woman with long white braided hair and grey eyes, "How's this Naruto?" the clothes Kakashi had been wearing now hung loosely from his new body.

"Something tells me we're going to have to do some shopping." Inara said slapping herself in the face. The twenty six year old glared at her.

The blonde turned to the Uchiha, "Okay Sasuke your turn."

The black haired boy quickly changed into a seventeen year old black haired girl. Her hair long, flowed freely behind her, it was styled a lot like Inara's was.

"Let's get this over with." She said flicking her bangs out of her eyes.

The Kunoichi transformed before anyone could tell her too. Spiked white hair with black tips covered the eight teen year olds head. Yellow eye's warned his teammates not to say anything that would they would regret.

Naruto's jaw practically dropped to the sand, "Give yourself enough muscling? Looks like you have a fricken six-pack under there! Hey Sasuke, your going to have to beef up after this mission."

The Uchiha snorted.

"There seems to be a flaw in this little plan ours. Girls named Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi? We need to change our names as well as our looks." Inara's new voice was deep, causing the air around them to vibrate when "she" spoke.

Sasuke's female voice sounded like a wind chime, "Let's try to think of names that start with the first letter of our real names that way we'll remember them easier."

"I've got mine." Said Naruto excitedly.

"Well what is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Nami!"

"Well from here on out until we change back I'll go as Suki." The Uchiha crossed her arms.

"I'll be Iniru."

"And I'll pose as Kiri." said the former ANBU.

Team seven mounted their horses and rode off towards Inara's home.

**Later That Day…**

Four cloaked figures stood on a sand dune overlooking the town, their horses waited patently for their riders to put them to work once again.

"Let's go." Iniru brought the black hood up to cover his face. "If anyone asks, we're traveling mercenaries just passing through. Try not to draw attention to yourselves."

The women nodded their heads.

The Ayanomi mansion could be seen clearly through the dust of everyday life. The main road served as its driveway. Even at a distance you could see the evidence of flame damage the smell of blood still clung to the air.

Iniru shivered, this place brought back so many painful memories. The village itself appeared to be in okay condition. It was still rundown, but that was to be expected from a poor country.

Team seven rode through the street, villagers paid them no attention. A few younger residences stopped and eyed the strangers carefully. They gasped when they saw the swords strapped to three of the fours' backs.

The men in the streets eyed the females lustfully until Iniru, who brought up the rear of the little parade, bared his teeth.

Yapping of a puppy reached Squad seven's ears, suddenly a small child ran out to grab the barking canine.

Tenahei reared in alarm lashing out angrily with his hooves. It took all his riders ability to stay on his back. The child was knocked to the ground eyes wide with fear.

Iniru was able to get the stallion calmed down, "Move it kid!" he growled. The small boy started crying loudly. The white haired teen shook his head and reached down to pick up the child by the back of his shirt. The villagers watched worriedly, what would this foreigner do to one the young local.

Much to their relief the teen set the boy on the stallion's back.

"Where do you live kid?"

The small boy pointed in the direction the Konoha Nin were heading.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Suki glanced behind her shoulder, "So much for not drawing attention to ourselves." She hissed.

Nami nudged her in the ribs, "Hey he can't help it. This is his home you know."

"What ever, lets return the brat and find somewhere to stay." The black haired girl urged her horse to a trot.

"MOMMY!" the little boy squealed from the buckskin's back. A brown haired woman about Kakashi's age ran out of the house in alarm.

"Jae? Where are you?" she stopped in her tracks when she saw the cloaked travelers, one of which had her son sitting on a horse of the most unusual color.

"Ma'am I believe this belongs to you?" Iniru dismounted and carried the child to his mother.

"Y-Yes t-thank you. I hope he hasn't caused you any trouble."

Kiri shook her head, "Not at all he was quite a pleasure to have with us."

"But from now on… keep a closer eye on him. I just about ran him over." Iniru ruffled the boys hair making him laugh.

"Of course. Could I offer you some dinner and a place to stay? The village doesn't have an inn. And I own you for bringing my Jae home safely."

Suki sighed, "I don't know, what do you think Kiri."

The white haired woman smiled, "I think that would be a wonderful idea. Thank you."

Jae's mother motioned them inside, "I'm sorry but I don't have a stable for your animals. Their welcome to stay in the backyard."

Iniru shook his head from underneath the hood, "That won't be necessary," he turned to face their mounts, "You work here is through, you can go home now."

The buckskin nodded his proud head; he and the others disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The brown haired woman nearly dropped her son in surprise, "Who are you?"

"I'm Iniru, this is my girlfriend Suki, her friend Nami and my…aunt Kiri. We're traveling mercenaries, we just came through to pick up some more supplies and rest a bit."

"I see, well your welcome to stay her as long as you wish." The woman smiled.

"Thank you we greatly appreciate it." Iniru bowed his head respectfully.

A scant meal was brought before the tired Nin, it was all Jae's mother could provide for them on such short notice; they ate in silence as Jae played on the floor with a wooden dog.

"We may not have much but we're happy. Things have been difficult every since the Ayanomi's were killed five years ago."

Iniru stopped chewing his food; their hostess didn't seem to notice.

"Every one loved the ruling family and when we hear they had an heiress the whole village celebrated for days. Those were happy times, easy times." The woman dabbed a tear from her eye, "I shouldn't be boring you with ancient history. Let me show you your room."

The space was small only one bed was tucked in the corner, the sheets moth eaten and dusty.

"I'm sorry but this is the best I can do. I haven't enough room for so many guests; I hope this will accommodate your needs."

"Not it's fine, much better than the sand dunes." Kiri walked into the room and looked around, the rest followed.

Jae's mother closed the door giving them some privacy.

Kiri sat down on the bed, the mattress sagged under her weight, "I call the bet since I'm the oldest."

"What? But sensei!" Nami complained.

"SSSHHH auntie Kiri needs her rest. We resume our mission first thing tomorrow."

Iniru took off his cloak to use it as a pillow on the floor, Suki and Nami did the same. It wasn't long before the genin's eyes closed for some well deserved rest.

AN: This chapter was so much fun to write! Every one under went a gender change HAHAHAHA! Oh sorry but it's funny. Sorry I forgot to put an Authors Note on the last chapter. Not many people are reading anymore (WAH!!) But to those of you who have stayed with the story, I LOVE YOU PPLE THANK YOU! I'm starting to throw chapters out faster now because I'm so stinking bored. This is why I hate summer, there's nothing to do! All my friends have life's outside of school, but not me nope. This story is the only way I keep myself sane! But now I'm not so sure if it's working any more!


	15. Forgotten Entries

AN: It official I'm an insomniac, I stayed up until like one in the morning every night until this chapter was done. I'm scared to go to sleep because in my last dream all the Naruto characters wanted to kill me! (And people wonder why I'm so skinny…I spend most of my time running from TV show characters!) shudders Maybe I should quit watching Naruto before bed…Nah.

Disclaimer: I, Anbu Warrior, in no way, shape or form, own any of the Naruto characters. There now that we got that out of the way…ON WITH THE STORY!!

**Forgotten Entries **

"BIG BRODR WAKIE UP!" Jae's shrill voice woke Inara, now disguised as an eighteen year old boy.

"Huh? Jae what're you…OOF!" the small boy landed in the middle of the Konoha Nin's stomach knocking the wind out of him.

"Well look who finally decided to join the living." Naruto, now disguised as a sixteen year old girl named Nami, folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh shut up." Iniru pulled his cloak over his body and brought the hood up to cover his face.

"Why do you do that?" The white haired genin's teammate asked.

"I can't afford them recognizing me…my eyes could be a dead giveaway."

Nami snorted, "Whatever Kak- I mean _auntie_ Kiri, says it's time to start searching for the, "targets."

The teen nodded from underneath the hood. Ever since Team Seven had arrived in Inara's hometown, they had disguised themselves using Naruto's Sexy Jutsu. They really were looking for a pair of scrolls that contained the power to change the future of two Konoha residences. Pretending to be traveling mercenaries, the Konoha Nin had so far escaped any questioning from the villagers.

Jae, a little boy Iniru had brought home the day before, earning them a place to stay and rest after a three day trek across a desert, clung to the teenager's leg giggling happily as Iniru made his way to the kitchen.

"Jae! That's no way to treat a guest!" the boy's mother scolded.

"No, no it's quite alright. Come on little guy, you hungry?" the white haired teen dislodged the child from his leg and set him down at the table.

Just then a black haired teen and a white haired woman walked through the door, "Morning Suki, Aunt Kiri… sleep well?"

The white haired woman stretched as she sat down, "Just heavenly, so what's for breakfast?" 'Auntie Kiri was actually Kakashi in disguise; grey contacts hid his Sharingan from view.

Sasuke, posing as a seventeen year old Suki, glared at her, "Do you always think of your stomach?"

"No that's Nami's job, speaking of which, here she is."

The blonde girl sat down at the table ruffling Jae's hair, "Morning guys."

Jae's mother had made a wonderful meal; soon everyone's stomachs were full when the woman began clearing the dishes.

"Let me give you hand with that." Iniru began carrying dishes to the sink to be washed.

"Why thank you Iniru, you're quite the gentleman."

The teen shrugged, "What can I say, I'm a softie."

Milk splattered the table as Nami and Suki spat out the liquid laughing hysterically.

Their teammate shot them a look silencing them instantly while he rolled up his sleeves.

Their hostess gasped and dropped the stack of dishes; they crashed to the floor breaking to bits.

"W-where did you get that?" she pointed at the bracelet/ring that Iniru wore around his left wrist and middle finger.

The teen tried to hide his arm behind his back, the woman was quicker, snatching her guest's arm so she could get a better look at the trinket. Her hand flew to her mouth when she saw the engraving in the silver. "T-that's…"

"It's nothing I swear!" Iniru wrenched his arm free of the woman's grasp.

"…The Ayanomi clan symbol." Jae's mother whispered, "T-then you must be…"

"No I'm not!" Iniru was starting to panic, if this woman found out who he really was, they would kill his friends and force him to stay and rule over them.

"Then where did you get it? WHO GAVE IT TO YOU?!" the mother screamed looking furious.

"I did!" Suki stood up knocking the chair out from underneath her, "I was a friend of the heiress Inara before the clan was wiped out. She gave it to me and I gave it to Iniru when I met him."

Jae's mother looked horrified, "You? You had the nerve to give such a treasure to a commoner! Who do you think you are?" the woman drew a steak knife from the sleeve of her dress.

A flash of movement stopped the fight before it progressed further, "That is enough, I'm sure my nephew's beloved did not mean any harm when she gave him the bracelet. But it is not for you to decide who lives and who dies over a mere piece of silver." Said Kiri as she held a kunai to the angry woman's throat, "Nami, Suki, Iniru, come on we're leaving." She lowered the weapon, "We thank you for your hospitality but it seems we're no longer welcome, so we'll be taking our leave now." Squad seven disappeared in a swirl of leaves leaving Jae laughing as the foliage fell around him and his mother starring at nothing.

**Abandoned Ally…**

The Jonin's fist slammed into Iniru's stomach sending him to his knees gasping for breath.

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing Inara?" Kakashi yelled, "You almost blew our cover! Your teammates could have been killed because of you! When will you learn?!" The former ANBU picked his student up by the neck and pinned him to the wall, "Answer me!" he hissed.

Inara dropped the Jutsu transforming back into her real form, "I'm…s-sorry Sensei." She choked, Kakashi's grip remained firm.

"Don't tell it to me tell it to your friends!" he threw her to the ground. The sensei was a force not to be reckoned with when angry. Inara stayed down in the dust wanting to fade away, to become nothing more than a memory like the rest of her clan.

"Naruto, Sasuke, start asking around for the scrolls, Inara…don't do any more damage to this mission than you already have, meet back here at dusk. If anything bad happens and nothing should…" he eyed the Kunoichi warningly, "Send up a signal flare but you had better be in real danger if you aren't you will be if I find you before the enemy does." Kakashi took to the rooftops.

Naruto and Sasuke release their Jutsus and ran to the girl's aid, "Inara are you okay?" Naruto asked as he helped her to her feet, "I've never seen Kakashi sensei so mad."

Sasuke moved to her other side and wrapped her arm around his neck so she could support herself as she walked.

"This is my fault, if I hadn't given you that bracelet none of this would have happened."

"D-don't blame yourself, I was the stupid one. I could have easily taken it off before the mission. I should have known that someone would have recognized it."

"Okay your both stupid," said Naruto, "But that still doesn't mean Sensei has to nearly kill you to get his point across."

"Actually I know how he feels," said Inara shrugging the boys off her, "The mission means everything to him, it's not everyday we get an A-ranked mission directly from the Hokage. Kakashi sensei is loyal to his country; he doesn't want this mission fail. And he'll do anything to see that it doesn't, even if it means taking out one of his own."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Well now that you put it that way it does make sense. And he would be really ticked off it one of us got the others killed."

"Right" Sasuke nodded, "So I suggest we don't get on his bad side and start looking for those stinking scrolls."

"Okay I'll head north and ask around that way." Said the white haired girl.

"Inara are you sure you're okay? Kakashi gave you quite a beating." The Uchiha reached out to touch her arm.

Inara smiled, "Sasuke I'm fine, Kasaki's healed my injuries so it's like they were never there." She showed him a cut she had received when her teacher had tossed her aside. The cut was sealed and new pink skin ensured it wasn't about to break open again easily.

"Come on lover boy, your girlfriend's fine." Said Naruto transforming into Nami once again.

Sasuke and Inara transformed back into their temporary forms.

"You're one hundred percent positive that you're alright?" asked the disguised Uchiha.

Iniru smirked, "Get out of here before I kick your butt."

Suki laughed before heading West to interrogate the villagers.

**A Few Hours Later…**

The former ANBU wasn't having much luck in the investigation. Most of the people she asked were only interested in getting her a drink. Kiri sat down on bench in the middle of the city.

_Maybe I was a little hard on her, it wasn't really her fault. _The white haired woman shook her head; _no…have to be concentrating on the task at hand._

"Hey there pretty lady, can I get you something?" a dark haired man sauntered in the Jonin's direction.

_Oh god not again…This Jutsu works too well. _

**With Nami…**

"Excurse me mister you wouldn't happen to know anything about a pair of scrolls that control fate would you?"

The man shook his head and walked away.

_Dang it! That's the fifteenth one! This is going to be harder than I thought._

"Excuse me miss?!" the blonde genin ran in the direction of her next target in hopes of a tidbit of information.

**With Suki…**

Sasuke had been the smartest out of the team and decided to try the local bar; drunks always had a loose tongue. However he quickly found that they were pretty quick at other things as well, like tempers.

A sake bottle smashed just over the Uchiha's head, "OH YEAH WELL SCREW YOU ASSHOLE!" The Konoha genin slammed the door to the third bar he had been in shut making the glass in the window panes shudder.

_Damn this body, if I was my normal self everybody wouldn't be staring at me._ The Sharingan wielder thought back to his academy days, _okay maybe not, they stared at me then too. _Suki rested her head in her hands, "Now I know why this mission was A-ranked, it's so damn hard to get any information!" The black haired girl felt someone watching her. Suki's head shot up and turned to look at the offending person, "What're you looking at?!" she yelled.

**With Iniru…**

Dark clouds blotted out the sun casting everything in shadows. The white haired teen looked up, a drop of rain splattered on his face, "Great, just what I need. Sensei shouldn't mind if I head back early…I'm not endangering anyone by doing that."

The Shinobi walked the empty streets slowly head bent down so anyone still scrambling to get out of the weather couldn't see his face. Lightning flashed across the sky followed by a rumble of thunder, by now the cloak covering the teen's clothes was soaked making it heavy with water.

Iniru rounded the corner when a scream reached his ears.

"LET ME GO!" yelled a female voice

The Konoha genin's head snapped up, he started to run to where the scream had come from.

Minutes ticked by without another sound except for the rumble of thunder.

_Come on, where are you? _ The white haired teen rounded another turn and came face to face with a gang of thugs. The leader had hold of a black haired girl roughly about sixteen years of age, dressed in expensive clothing.

"PLEASE HELP ME!" she looked at him frantically.

"I said shut up bitch! You're daddy's gonna pay a hansom reward fer your pretty hide. After we've messed it up a bit o'course." The man ginned wolfishly.

Iniru felt his blood begin to boil, "Leave her alone!" he demanded.

The leader dropped the girl, "Well well well lookie here boys, looks like we got ourselves a little hero on our hands." The gang circled the teen laughing.

"And we know how to handle hero's don't we boys?" the subordinates of the gang all drew knives from the inside of their clothing.

Iniru raised his head so the gang could look him in the eyes, "I said leave her alone."

"Oh we'll let her go….after you beg for your life." One of the subordinates licked his blade.

The genin withdrew Kunatzu from its sheath, lightning flashed across the metal.

"You wanna play do ya hero? Fine let's play!" the thugs leapt toward the Konoha Nin all at once, stabbing and slashing with their knives.

Iniru was able to render a few of them unconscious before the rest dog piled him to the ground.

The girl watched in horror as her rescuer disappeared underneath the seething mass of bodies. The pile began to heave as the white haired teen threw his attackers off him.

He stood there panting for breath, his cloak was shredded to ribbons, and stab wounds covered his body bloodying the ground.

"Heh kids got talent I'll give 'im that…but talent don't count for shit when you're dead!"

"_Mikazuki no Mai!_" (Dance of the Crescent Moon) All the lesser thugs were cut down as a flash of lightning lit the sky. Thunder roared across the heavens as the last of the subordinates fell to the ground dead.

"And then there was one." Iniru lowered his hood eyes flashing dangerously.

"P-please don't kill me!" sniveled the leader, "I was desperate! I needed money!"

Iniru knelt down to his opponent's level, "I'll spare your miserable life if you can tell me about a pair of scrolls that can change fate."

The man's foot shot out knocking Kunatzu from the genin's hand.

The teen glared, "No? Go to hell you son of a bitch." He whipped out a pair of kunai, twirled them in his hands and plunged one into the man's chest, the other in his throat.

The gang leader gave a dying gargle before flopping to the ground.

Iniru stood up, a gash in his side protested violently sending the boy to his knees clutching the wound.

The black haired girl ran to her rescuer's aid.

Iniru's breathing was becoming shallow and rapid, the girl rested a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he yelled, teeth bared.

Yellow eyes pierced the richly dressed girls blue ones, the scar across the Konoha genin's eye added to the fearsome appearance.

"Please," she whispered, "Let me help you." She moved her hands closer to Iniru's side.

"I don't need your help." The teen got up slowly and stood to his full height, he towered over her by at least four inches, "You should get home." With a massive leap, the boy dashed across the roofs of the town.

The girl wasn't about to give up so easily, running along the street's she was able to track the boy to an abandoned ally.

The rain had stopped and the desert sun was beginning to peek out of the black clouds when Iniru met up with the others.

"Sorry I'm late; I got a little…sidetracked."

Nami stood up and stretched, "Any luck?"

The white haired teen shook his head, "Not a scrap."

Rapid breathing caused the genin to look past their teammate, out of the ally.

The girl Iniru had saved leaned up against a wall.

"Baka you were followed!" Suki hissed.

Iniru stood in front of the tired girl, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Iniru! It doesn't matter we need to get out of here before Kiri shows up!" Nami yelled disappearing over a wall.

Suki grasped her friends arm, "Come on, time to go!"

"W-wait! GUARDS STOP THEM!" the girl shouted just as the last two genin were about to jump over the wall.

Rough hands slammed them to the ground; blindfolds were forced over their eyes. A sharp blow to their heads ensured they wouldn't struggle.

When Squad seven regained consciousness, they lay in the middle of an elaborately decorated room. Expensive china hung from the off white walls, a dark oak chest inlaid with gold was the main center piece. Red velvet chairs surrounded the room.

"Where the hell are we?" Nami asked sitting up.

"They got you too huh?" Suki's arms where tied behind her back as were Iniru and Nami's.

A large oak door swung open slowly as the black haired girl entered with seven guards at her heels.

"Who the hell are you? Why did you bring us here?" Suki yelled trying to undo her restraints.

The blindfold was removed from Iniru's eyes; the guards rested their hands on their swords as he glared at the girl.

"I'm really sorry about this but I had to thank you properly for saving my life." The black haired girl smile as she held the blindfold up for the Konoha Shinobi to see.

"Heh, you got a funny way on thanking people in this city." Iniru spat.

"Watch your tongue boy!" one of the guards dealt the teen a kick to the gut.

Squad seven jumped to their feet ready to fight, even if their hands were disabled. The guards where on them in an instant, two held Nami and Suki, while it took three to immobilize their teammate.

"Now lets everyone just settle down," the girl called her guards off, "My names Nyomi, it's nice to meet you…uh."

"Iniru, release the others and I promise we won't give you trouble."

Nami snorted, "Speck for yourself."

The bodyguards cut the genin's restrains, leaving Iniru tied up in the middle of the floor.

"And who're you two?" Nyomi eyed the girls enviously.

"I'm Suki, and this is my friend Nami. We're mercenaries just passing through."

The black haired girl eyed the white haired teen curiously, "and your friend? He's a mercenary as well?"

"I guess you could call him that, more like a guide. You can let him go, he doesn't bite." Said Nami.

Nyomi nodded at one of her guards who quickly cut the ropes binding the teen's wrists.

The oak doors burst open loudly bouncing off the walls as they hit. Four more soldiers held a struggling white haired woman between them.

"AUNT KIRI!" Iniru shouted, "Let her go!"

The lead soldier smirked, "We don't take orders from you kid."

"Oh yeah? Nami, Suki now!"

_"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ (Shadow clone Jutsu) Six blonde and six black haired girls rendered the soldiers helpless with a kunai to the throat, while Iniru poised a kunai just above Nyomi's jugular.

Kiri began laughing, "Care to reconsider?" the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Finally the guards holding the woman backed away.

The shadow clones disappeared and Iniru lowered his weapon.

"Well…you three certainly know how to do business don't you?" the black haired girl rubbed her throat where the kunai had been resting.

"NYOMI WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" A burly man appeared in the doorway.

The girl ran over to him, "Nothing daddy, I was just thanking this kind boy for saving my life back in the ally." She motioned toward a sweat dropping Konoha Nin.

"Well now, thank you young man," the burly man shook the teen's hand so hard, everyone in the room could hear bones cracking audibly.

"N-no problem s-sir." The genin shook his hand to regain some of the feeling.

Nyomi giggled, "Everyone this is my daddy; he's the ambassador for this country. That's why those men were trying to kidnap me."

"So you're like royalty?" asked Nami raising her hand.

"I guess you could put it that way. We're very wealthy and the locals aren't very fond of some of the decisions we've made in the past."

Suki glared at the girl, "Heh this sound familiar." Iniru nudged her in the ribs.

"Be nice."

His teammate stuck her tongue out at him. Kiri rolled her eyes, "Well I hate to interrupt this little party but must I remind my companions that we aren't here for fun and games, we have a job to do."

"Well maybe Nyomi knows something." The blonde girl dashed up to the ambassador's daughter, "You wouldn't know anything about fate changing scrolls would you Nyomi?"

The black haired girl laughed, "You sure don't waste time do you Nami? You're welcome to search our library for any information but I doubt anything will turn up; I've combed through that dusty old place tons of times and never found anything good to read. It's mostly records and stuff like that. I could take you there now if you like?"

Iniru nodded, "That would be great."

**Old Library…**

A thick layer of dust coated everything in the room. When the door was pushed open a layer of it was scattered making everyone cough. Spider webs clung to the ceiling and bookshelves, their builders long since dead.

Team seven wasted no time in chatting and began digging through the mountain of books and papers looking for the scrolls.

"Hey did you know the Ayanomi's only produced and average of three swords a year? Now they would be worth an average of fifteen million each?" Nami asked holding up and old accounting scroll.

Suki took the paper from the blonde's hands, "Where did you find that?" she asked reading the parchment.

"Over that-a-way," the Uzumaki motioned towards a large stack of documents behind her.

"Oi, keep enough records?" Kiri asked sweat dropping.

"If its Ayanomi goods you're looking for you might want to try the southeast wall. It's all the stuff we pulled from the wreckage a few years ago. We restored what we could but most of it was burned to a crisp in the fire."

"What fire?" The white haired woman asked not even looking up from her pile of papers.

Nyomi sat down on the floor, "The fire that destroyed the Ayanomi clan of course."

Iniru snorted trying not to laugh.

"What's so funny? No one knows more about the ruling family than me. I've spent ages reading over documents, researching their past, I even know about their plans for their heiress before they were all killed."

"It wasn't a fire the killed the clan." Iniru murmured, "It was another land. What they were after I don't know but the fire was a cover up."

Nyomi placed her hands on her hips, "Oh yeah? And what crack pot old fool told you that lie?"

Everyone in the room fell silent waiting for the boy's answer.

_Don't blow our cover Inara!_ Kiri thought.

"Nobody, I…was there…when it happened. I was only thirteen."

Iniru's teammates breathed a sigh of relief; their lie could go on without a hitch if Inara kept up hers.

The black haired girl stood up, "I don't believe you, what were you doing here?"

"Trading business, with my father…before he…died."

"Oh…I'm…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

Iniru walked past her, "Its okay…I've gotten over it."

A maid dressed in white entered the room carrying a tray of purple liquid, "The refreshments you sent for miss." She bowed and left the room.

"Oh yeah! Break time guys!" Nyomi passed a glass out to everyone.

Kiri sniffed it curiously, "What exactly is this?"

"The nectar of the desert cactus flower that grows around here, it's my favorite!" the ambassador's daughter drank half of her glass in one gulp.

Suki and Nami gave the drink a test sip before draining their glasses as well. Iniru took his time savoring the taste.

_It's been so long since I've had this. My god I've forgotten how sweet it was._ The serenity was interrupted when Nyomi's father entered the room stirring up even more dust.

"Nyomi…dear…you, have to get ready for the party tonight." He coughed covering his mouth.

"Oh man I forgot about that!" the ambassador's daughter clutched her head in panic.

"What party? Is it your birthday?" Iniru asked, he couldn't remember any celebrations that his homeland would be holding, except for his birthday as Inara, but that was weeks ago.

"No exactly, it's a party to remind us how happy we were when the Ayanomi's were in control. We invite all the locals to the old palace and throw a huge celebration!" Nyomi said excitedly, "There's music, dancing, fireworks, games and an enormous feast. It's a lot of fun, you guys should come!"

Kiri set her glass back on the tray, "We appreciate the offer but we have a job to do."

"Aw come on Kiri! We've done nothing but work ever since we got here! Can't we take a break? Please!" Nami gave the Jonin big puppy eyes.

_Damn him, he's good at that._ Kakashi thought to himself, he sighed, "Oh alright, but just for a little while."

"YES!" the blonde girl punched the air with her fist.

Nyomi smiled brightly, "This is wonderful! The party starts at sunset to night, try not to be late. Unfortunately only decorative weapons are allowed for security's sake. I'm afraid you'll have to leave any killing devices elsewhere."

Suki drew a kunai from its holder, "Aw…but I like these things." She flipped it up into the air before catching it again.

Iniru ruffled his teammates hair playfully, "Don't worry Suki, you can bring Garyuu with. As long as you keep it sheathed of course. Right Nyomi?"

The black haired girl was glaring at the black haired Konoha Nin, but quickly rearranged her face when the white haired boy looked at her, "Y-yes that shouldn't be a problem. If you'll excuse me I must go make preparations."

Squad seven sat in silence before Kiri finally spoke, "We'll have to keep an eye on that one. She's acting quite dodgy. Especially when ever you have contact with Suki, Iniru, me thinks someone's jealous."

The white haired teen snorted, "Of Suki and me? No way! That cactus nectar must have waterlogged your brain."

"I don't know Inara; she was acting a lot like Ino and Sakura when ever they see us together." Sasuke said changing his voice back to normal.

"Your both crazy, she's probably just jealous of your good looks Suki." Iniru wrapped his arms around the Uchiha's neck and rested his chin on her head.

"I think I'm gonna loose my breakfast! Cut it out you lovebirds!" Nami shouted.

"There ya see?" Iniru asked pointing at the blonde, "Even Naruto's jealous of you."

"JEALOUS MY ASS! You two have just gotten too cuddly that's all, it's making me sick."

"Heh heh sorry baka," said Inara giving the Uzumaki a noogie.

The door to the library swung open just as the Konoha genin fixed their Jutsus.

It was Nyomi, "Did I hear other voices in here?" She asked quietly.

"Nope, no one here but us." Said Suki ruffling through a pile of papers.

"Oh okay, I'll be going now." She shut the door.

Kiri sank down on to the floor, "Whew that was a close one."

The Konoha Nin searched the entire library until mid-afternoon. Random documents had been found, including Inara's birth certificate and photo (much to her dismay)

"AW Inara you where so cute!" Naruto squealed.

The Shinobi punched him in the head, "Shut up! I think being a girl is starting to rub off on you!"

"Hey Inara, what's this? It's got your name on it" Suki held up a small black book, the pages yellowing with age.

The white haired teen took it from his teammate, "Hm…I don't know." He paged though the book, most of the pages were blank. Ink started to stain them toward the back.

"Oh my god…"

"What?" asked Nami coming up behind the Ayanomi.

"It's my diary."

"Really let me see!" Nami snatched it from the boy's hands. "You call this writing? I can't read a thing in it!" she tossed the book back in Iniru's direction, who caught it.

"It's dragon script baka, like with the snake in the Forest of Death remember? Here I'll read it to you."

The white haired boy's teammates took a seat around him as he opened the book to the first page with writing on it.

"Dear diary," he read, "I'm so excited, momma says a new friend will be coming over soon! Ever since my street friends, I haven't left my room. I wonder if it's a boy or a girl. I'm not gonna get as close to this one as I did the others, I don't know if I'll be able to handle the hurt in my chest again. Until next time, Inara."

Kiri raised an eyebrow, "Street friends? I thought you were treated like royalty."

"It's a long story Sensei; you had to have been there." Suki repositioned herself so she sat more comfortably on the floor.

"Dear diary," Iniru continued, "I don't know what momma was thinking! I hate that boy! I can't say his real name so I just call him Onii-kun. Momma says I shouldn't say that because I'm older than him. I don't care! He's still the bug face who stole my teddy and ran away!"

"Geeze vengeful much?" Suki asked nudging her friend in the side.

"Yeah yeah okay I get it. Dear diary, Onii-kun and I are really good friends now. He said sorry about stealing teddy from me. I guess he's okay. We play for hours until momma tells us to go to bed. Onii-kun stays at my house all summer and I'm going over to his during the winter. We share my room; Momma even put a special bed in there for him right next to mine so it looks like one big one! Yesterday we built a fort in the middle of the hallway. We had to take it down cause one of the clan elders tripped over it and hurt himself. Stupid grandpa, he should have been watching where he was going."

Team seven burst out laughing.

"Inara you had issues when you were little!" said Naruto clutching his sides.

"Hey it wasn't my fault the old fart couldn't see where he was going!" Iniru wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. He flipped past some unreadable pages before coming to the last entry.

"Dear diary, Onii-kun isn't coming this summer. Momma says something bad happened to him when he was at home. She said that Onii-kun is probably in a better place now. I know that isn't true because Onii-kun told me he was happiest when he was with me. I don't know what happened and no one will tell me. They all just shake their heads and tell me to go play with my toys like a good little girl. When I don't, Momma yells at me and says that she'll tell my daddy if I don't behave. Diary, I don't know my daddy. How can I be scared of someone I never met? I keep dreaming of the day when Onii-kun will come back here and ask me to play hide and seek with him. I hope I see him soon, because it's lonely here without him."

A small scrap of burnt paper fell out of the diary, Iniru picked it up, a sad look engulfed his face, "This was a picture of me and Onii-kun the first time he came over." He handed the parchment to Kiri. A smiling Inara looked back up at the Jonin, a hand was over her shoulder, but the rest was blackened from fire damage leaving the other face unrecognizable.

When the photo was handed back to Iniru, he shoved it in the front of his cloak for safe keeping.

**A Few Hours Later…**

Suki cracked her knuckles loudly, "Hey sensei, don't you think we should be getting ready for the party?"

Kiri checked the time by looking at the sun, it still had a way to go before sinking down below the horizon, "You're right, time to call it quits for the day. Come on I spotted a bath house while I was being dragged here."

"Awesome! I'm gonna tell Nyomi where we went." Nami ran out of the room.

**Bath Houses…**

Team Seven changed back into their usual forms in order to purchase bathing suits for the bath house.

"Since it's too dangerous to be separated we're going to have to use the Co-ed bath. Sorry Inara." The Jonin apologized.

The Ayanomi shrugged it off, "No biggie sensei I'm used to it by now."

They entered the large outdoor pool; Inara slipped the bracelet off her hand and hid it in her clothes carefully. There was enough steam for the teammates to see each other but no one else.

"My god Inara you're pale, water to warm for you?" said Naruto easing himself into the hot water.

"I blame my genes for that…mostly on my father's side."

The males all laughed before they started rinsing away the dust from the library.

_**"Hatchling you feeling okay? You're all…fuzzy inside."**_

_Yes Kasaki…I'm fine. _ The Kunoichi ran her hair under the water; she watched it sway with the ripples before falling straight when she flipped her head back.

Water droplets hit Sasuke's back making him jump. _What the? _ He turned and saw Inara's silhouette through the steam. The Uchiha stared mesmerized as the girl ducked under the water and came up suddenly throwing her hair behind her, sending thousand of water drops in his direction.

A smile spread across his face as he shook his head slowly. The smile quickly disappeared when he thought about the boy that used to be Inara's best friend.

_I wonder if he was…. No, she would've told me about it then if he was. But he could be…GAH! What am I worrying myself over? As far as we both know that kid isn't going to show up any time soon. _ The Uchiha reassured himself, he wasn't all too friendly to the idea of sharing Inara's attention with anyone else except Naruto and Kakashi. But even the blonde pushed Sasuke's limits.

_Oh great now I sound possessive…_

A hand rested on his shoulder startling him, "WHOA!" The clan heir fell over into the scalding water. He resurfaced spitting the hot liquid out of his mouth.

Kakashi stood over him with a raised eyebrow, "I was just wondering if you were done gawking. The rest of us are ready to go."

AN: And thus ends another exciting chapter. Apparently Konoha had acting classes because Sasuke (Suki), Naruto (Nami), Inara (Iniru) and Kakashi (Kiri) are really good at acting their opposite genders. So sorry this took forever but I had another writer's block. I haven't had one of those in awhile so I guess I was about due for one. Some people have really been slaking off on the reads lately, now I don't know if its cause it's summer or if you just hate this story (please dear god let it be the first one) but anyway **PLEASE REVIEW!!!** I really need to here your thoughts cause when I can't…I get scared and all you nice people wouldn't wanna scare me now would you? Or maybe you do and you all want me to suffer! (AAAAAHHHH NNNOOOOOO faints)


	16. From Once Upon A Time

AN: YEAH CHAPTER 16!!!!!!!!!!!! Um…nothing more to say really, this fair stuff is a real pain in my ass. I'll let you know how I did in the end note.

Disclaimer: I DON'T FREAKING OWN NARUTO! WHEN WILL YOU GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS?! (I'm sorry I lost control again bows)

**From Once Upon A Time**

"WHATTA YA MEAN YOU WON'T LET US IN!" screamed a sixteen year old girl named Nami, "NYOMI TOLD US TO COME HERE!"

The guard crossed his arms defensively, "Right, and I'm the heiress Inara."

A tick formed above Iniru's eye as he glared at the palace guard, "You do realize your out numbered two to one?"

The two soldiers looked at each other nervously, would these foreigners really try something? A glare from the white haired teen verified their suspicions, yes they would.

The guards rested their hands on the hilt of their swords.

Iniru let loose a low growl making sure to bare his teeth. He felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of his head, "Iniru…HEEL!" Suki shouted grabbing hold of her teammates cloak sleeve.

The white haired boy immediately backed down after running his tongue over his white teeth chuckling to himself, "But Suki, they started it."

The raven haired girl glared at him, "So? _You_ started the last argument."

"Ah…Touché." Iniru tried again to walk past the guards, only to be shoved back.

"We told you street rats, we're not letting you in without the proper attire." Smirked one of the guards.

Suki and Nami backed up towards Kiri to give their teammate the proper amount of killing space.

Cold metal rested on the offending guard's throat. His partner moved to help but was quickly knocked to his rear from a kick to the gut.

"You got a problem with street rats?" Iniru asked flicking the soldier's helmet off with the tip of his sword. Graying hair covered the man's head; a shaggy beard protected his jaw. His head practically rested on his shoulders due to his short thick neck giving him a walrus like appearance. Faded green eyes glared at the Konoha Nin.

"After the last group I slaughtered, you shouldn't be any trouble."

The smirk on Iniru's face was practically smacked off, _What? You? You're the one who…Otetsu…Kasaki, I'm no longer responsible for anything that happens to this bastard, got it? _

_**"I do not blame you hatchling, this man has caused you much pain in the past. But must I remind you that it was your clan's elders who issued the order? This man was merely doing his job in order to earn money for his family to survive."**_

The teen sighed and sheathed the deadly blade, _Damn it Kasaki, I hate your sense of logic! _

Just then Nyomi sprinted past the guards to join her friends, "It's about time you got here Iniru." She smiled.

_What are we? Invisible? _(Nami)

_Stuck up little bitch._ (Suki)

_Like I said…dodgy..._ (Kiri)

The ambassador's daughter wore a dark purple gown the flowed to the ground. Gold lace bordered the hemming adding a slight sparkle to the clothing. She grabbed the white haired boy by the arm and dragged him past the dumbfounded guards.

The rest of Squad seven followed, smirking at the soldiers as they sauntered by.

**Nyomi's Room…**

Iniru tried desperately to stay on his feet as the excited girl dragged him through the building and stopped in front of an oak door. With a still firm hold of her rescuer's wrist, Nyomi dragged him through.

Iniru starred at the garishly painted light blue walls. Stuffed animals and castle accessories cluttered the room; a large four poster bed covered in pink sheets dominated the middle of the room.

_I…am in princess HELL!_ Thought the boy looking around frantically for an escape route. "I'm…gonna go check on the others." He turned on his heel and bolted for the door. The black haired girl pounced in front of the door blocking his only hope of escape.

"You're not going anywhere. Not now that I've got you all to myself." Nyomi chirped.

_Oh dear god this is wrong on so many levels!_

The girl skipped over to her closet and threw open the doors, "Now what should you wear to the party?"

"Uh what's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" Iniru looked down at his own clothing. The cloak had been mended best to his abilities from the fight in the ally. Only a few blood stains were visible.

Nyomi held her chin in her hand, "Are you serious?" she began digging through the closet pulling out tuxedos of the most unusual color. By the time she had finished pink, purple, light blue, yellow, and dark green suits covered the pink sheets on the bed.

"There, take your pick."

Iniru sweat dropped, "Are _you_ serious? Let me take a look." He burrowed his way through a rainbow of clothing until he reached the back.

"U phound ond." Mumbled Iniru from the confines of the closet.

"What?" Nyomi shouted.

"I said I found one." The Konoha Nin held up a black tux when he emerged.

"The last time that thing was worn was for my grandmothers funeral five years ago."

"Perfect. I say it deserves a night out."

Nyomi sighed, "Alright lets see if it fits."

Iniru tossed his tattered cloak to the floor and removed his shirt revealing to the girl all the muscling that lay underneath.

The black haired girl's mouth dropped to the floor, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

_Holy crap he's ripped, thank you god!_

"Uh Nyomi? Hellooo? YOU'RE DROOLING!" Iniru's hand flashed in front of her face as she gasped looking down at her dress.

"Geeze I can't believe you actually fell for that." Laughed the Shinobi stretching his arms back over his head. "Now if you don't mind could you vacate the room?"

"Y-yeah s-sure thing." The girl stumbled backwards out of the room. Iniru heard a squeal of sheer joy as the door closed behind her.

A familiar voice rang in the white haired teen's ears, "Hey Nyomi do you know where Iniru is?" It was Nami.

_OH SHIT!!! _The Shinobi set the world record for getting dressed as cloths flew around the room. Iniru stopped in front of a full length mirror to inspect himself.

_Hm…something's missing_. He shut his yellow eyes, when he opened them again they were ice blue. _Much more better._

"Hey Iniru are you in here?" Nami's head poked through the door.

"Yeah I'm coming out!"

The blue eyed boy closed the door behind him to face his teammates and hostess.

"Uh…Iniru…weren't your eyes yellow before?" she asked.

Team seven tensed immediately, "No, I thought only the heiress Inara had yellow eyes?"

"Good point…I guess I never noticed it before. Come on you three it's your turn!" Nyomi ushered the "girls" in to the bedroom from hell.

Minutes ticked by slowly as Iniru waited in the hall. Every once in awhile he would hear something along the lines of "I'm not gonna wear that!" or "NO…TOUCHIE!" mostly from Nami. When the oak door finally opened the Konoha Nin's teammates where shoved through wearing elaborately tailored dresses.

"I feel like cotton candy." Nami mumbled looking down at her light pink outfit.

"You think I feel any better?" Suki growled glancing down at the lavender cloth.

"Hey at least she didn't try to put you both in a two-two!" shouted Kiri ruffling pale yellow fabric.

Iniru burst out laughing, "Oh wait till the guys hear about this!" he gasped clutching his stomach.

Three sets of eyes glared at him sending icy chills down his spine, "Or not."

Nyomi shut the door behind her, "Come on guys, we have to get to the Ayanomi mansion before the guests arrive!" she started running down the hall, her white high-heels clicking on the polished floor.

"Wow, that's no small accomplishment." He watched the bounding girl disappear from sight.

"It can't be that hard to run in heels, the back of your foot is elevated slightly, so what?" Suki took one step and fell flat on her butt.

Iniru smirked, "Not so easy now is it? Welcome to the life of a female." He helped Suki up as the other two stumbled down the hallway.

**Courtyard… **

"That's it! I can't walk the whole way there in these damn things! Iniru can't you summon those horses again?" Kiri pleaded.

"Yeah…but…you'd have to ride sidesaddle."

"Anything but walking!"

"Okay, _Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" (Summoning Jutsu)

Four horses, a tiger striped buckskin, a white, a black with a white mane and tail, and a palomino appeared in front of Team seven.

"Yes mistress what do you—Mistress? Is that you?" asked Tenahei taking a few steps backward.

"Duh, who else can summon you? We need a lift to the old mansion. You remember where it is?"

The buckskin looked insulted, "Of course I remember where it is! I wasn't foaled yesterday!"

It took the "girls" a while to figure out how to mount up in dresses but after ten or so minutes of falling off, they finally got it.

The summer night air felt good against their faces as the galloped through the empty streets towards the palace. A dark figure suddenly came into view.

Iniru shook his head, Nyomi hadn't gotten very far, "Need a lift?" he asked coming to a stop next to her.

She grabbed the hand he offered her and was swung up behind him.

"Hang on tight. Not…that…tight." He choked. Iniru dug his heels into the horse's sides as they took off.

"Not so fast, I'm gonna fall off!" Nyomi shouted as she held on tighter to the boy in front of her despite his lack of oxygen.

**Ayanomi Mansion…**

The horses skidded to a halt as their rides jumped off, (Nyomi fell off, landing on Iniru as she went)

"I think my ribs are crushed beyond repair." The teen gasped as Nyomi went off to greet other visitors.

Suki shook her head, "Well that's what you get for being nice."

A man with a list of paper and a staff blocked their path, "Name of the lady and her escort?"

"Heh? No one told us we needed and escort!" Nami shrieked.

Suki and Iniru smiled at each other, "Well this is where _we_ have the advantage." She swayed up to the announcer.

"Ms. Suki Ayada escorted by Sir Iniru Kunatzu."

The announcer shouted their names as Suki wrapped her hands around her escort's arm. Heads turned as the two of them walked down the stairs to the dance floor being careful not to accidentally bump into someone.

"Great now their taken care of…now what about us!" Nami shouted clutching her head between her hands.

"Ah hem, Nami, we left _our_ escorts with the horses remember?" Kiri said stepping on the blonde's foot.

"OOOWWHHH yeah. If you'll excuse us." They disappeared behind a large marble pillar.

Two small poofs of smoke drifted from behind the pillar undetectable to the announcer.

The women walked calmly back up to the announcer holding the arms of white and blonde haired escorts.

"Mrs. Kiri Hatake escorted by Sir Kakashi Hatake." Shouted the announcer.

Suki and Iniru froze in their tracks before looking up with the rest of the crowd.

"I didn't know they could do that!" Iniru starred as his sensei walk himself down the stairs.

"Ms. Nami Tikoshi escorted by Sir Naruto Uzumaki!"

Suki slapped herself in the head, "We are so going to get busted."

Kiri and Nami ducked behind another pillar releasing their shadow clones before emerging to join Suki and Iniru.

"Yeah thanks for the help back there guys!" Nami accused.

"What? We didn't know you needed an escort to get in." Iniru snapped back.

Nami glared at him, "I'm gonna go eat."

Kiri followed, "And I'm gonna go make sure she behaves."

The black and white haired teens watched them go before everyone around them started dancing to the sound of the orchestra.

Iniru glanced around for an exist, but only spotted a glaring Nyomi who's attitude immediately turned sunny when she realized he was looking in her direction.

The blue eyed boy took his teammates hand, "Just follow my lead and don't look at your feet.

"Well then where should I look?"

"I don't care…anywhere. Just not down."

An evil smirk played across the girls face as she stared off in Nyomi's direction.

"Suki give me your hand." the Konoha "Kunoichi" happily obliged.

Iniru rested it on his shoulder and took the other in his own as he wrapped his arm around Suki's waist.

Nyomi clenched her jaw and glared menacingly at the foreign girl as she danced with _her_ knight in shining armor.

Suki saw the ambassador's daughter's face and laid her head on Iniru's chest just to add fuel to the fire.

_I haven't been a girl for a week and I'm already a bitch! _Suki thought smiling to herself.

The song finally ended when Suki let go of her dancing partner, "Where did you learn that?"

Iniru shrugged, "The life of a royal sucks."

They made their way over to the enormous banquet table. On it, lay meats of all kinds. Salads and fruit dominated the middle of the table; next to them was an array of desserts ranging from mints, brownies, onigiri, to ice cream and a huge four layer cake.

"Wow, where to start." Suki twirled a gold lined plate over in her hands.

Iniru laughed taking a dish for himself and started down the table picking up bits as he went.

White Champaign was being poured into crystal glasses and handed out to the guests. Both Konoha Nin eyed it carefully before accepting.

Suki sniffed the beverage and sneezed as the smell of alcohol flooded her senses, "Are you sure we're aloud to drink this?"

Iniru nodded, "The drinking limit here is sixteen so technically we're not yet legal, but if we want to keep up this charade we better." He took a sip and coughed, "Although I must admit, it does taste terrible."

Not being used to the alcohol defiantly had an effect on the teen's behaviors. After one glass both were a little tipsy.

Iniru shook his head to try and clear away some of the fuzziness, but nearly fell over in the attempt, _Kasaki, is there anyway you could possibly clear this up?_

"_**Sure thing…just don't expect much from me after, cause anything I absorb for you will in turn affect me just as badly."**_

_Can you get rid of Sasuke's too?_

"_**You're really pushing it…but I can try, just touch his, or should I say her, arm and I'll burn away what I can." **_

_Thanks, you're a lifesaver._

"_**Yeah but you owe me hatchling." **_

_How does being able to live without the constant fear of Kyuubi sound?_

The black dragon glared at his host, _**"Perfect, just perfect."**_

Almost immediately the white haired teen felt the effects of the Champaign wear off leaving him as sober as he had been when he had walked through the door.

He reached out to grab Suki as she nearly tripped over her own dress. As soon as their skin had made contact the black haired girl started to act normally once again.

The blue eyed boy felt the dragon start tripping around inside the seal, clearly drunk.

"_**Theresh…I hope yee's happly…" **__(There I hope you're __happy) _The dragon slurred making Iniru snort in laughter.

_Maybe I should have tried to handle it myself. Now I've just gone and matters worse. _

"_**Yers gotta that right…hic." **__(You got that right) _

"ATTENTION LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A loud voice announced over a speaker, "Games will be held in the back courtyard in a few moments! Any gentlemen who wish to enter our first event please signed up at the back door!"

"Hm. You going?" Suki looked at Iniru.

"I don't know, should I?"

"Wipe the floor with them!" she gave him an encouraging smile.

**Back Courtyard…**

A tall man called for silence as twenty applicants, including Iniru, gathered around him.

"The first event of this evening will be a horse race, those of you who have mounts our stable boys will bring them around. For those of you who don't, one will be provided!"

Horses of all colors and breeds where brought before the race contenders, some very hansom others not so much.

A small boy about the age of ten walked up to Iniru with a scrawny bay at his heels, "Your mount Sir." He offered the white haired teen the reins.

Iniru shook his head, "No thanks I have my own animal." Forming the usual summoning hand signs, Tenahei appeared in a cloud of smoke pawing the ground excitedly.

The Shinobi mounted up without a saddle and bridle, the way he always rode and walked the stallion to the starting line.

"Nice horse, how much you want for him?" said a stocky man on a black stock horse.

"Sorry Tenahei isn't for sale." Iniru stared dead ahead of him not even glancing at the man.

"Alright suit yourself."

A few more seconds passed before a snort of laughter resounded from the left of the white haired teen.

"You're going to ride bareback? Are you crazy? You need a saddle!" said a brown haired man about the age of twenty.

"No saddle, less weight," Iniru angled his mount so the man could only see the horse's rump, "Hope you like the view, cause it's all your going to be seeing."

A gunshot signaled the start of the race, the horses charged past the starting line sending dust everywhere.

Iniru and Tenahei where in the middle of the pack, trapped between four other riders, one on each side. A few yards later one horse pulled up suddenly holding its leg in the air leaving a space for the buckskin horse to pass through.

The pack rounded the first turn; Iniru pushed his mount harder passing all those in front of him until he was neck and neck with the third rider from the lead, it was the same man who had insulted Iniru at the beginning of the race.

"Come on boy, we can't lose to the likes of him!" the teen whispered in Tenahei's ear. The horse tossed his head and charged forward.

The brown haired man stared in disbelief as the buckskin passed his grey. In a desperate attempt to stop them, the man swung his arm to catch Iniru in the chest knocking him off the buckskins back.

The silver haired teen hit the dirt hard, rolling as he went. Deadly hooves shot over his head missing him by inches. When the thunder had passed, Iniru looked up to see the mass of horses approaching the next turn, just before it was a fallen log.

_If I can just make it to that tree, I might stand a chance!_ The Shinobi leapt to his feet and started running full bore across the midfield of the race track to intercept the racers.

Bringing his fingers to his lips, he whistled for his horse to come closer to the edge of the track.

The stallion came barreling out of nowhere; giving his rider just enough time to grab hold of the black mane and pull him self up on to the strong back.

"Hold on Master!" The tiger striped horse sailed over the log, his rider clinging to his neck for all he was worth.

A grey horse came into view as they rounded the last turn.

The man's mouth hung open when the buckskin passed his horse with ease to take the lead. A hundred feet remained when the Konoha Nin asked for more speed; Tenahei responded with everything he was worth, shooting over the finish line ten lengths in front of the others.

The stallion came to a halt breathing heavily as the rest of the racers thundered past them.

Sweat poured off the horse's sides as Iniru patted him on the neck, "Good work Tenahei, I'm proud of you."

The horse whickered and followed his owner to the winner's circle obediently where a ring of flowers was placed around his neck.

When the commotion had calmed down, the horse disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Everyone made their way back inside, Suki punched Iniru in the arm and told him never to scare her like that again or she'd kill him.

"Our next even will be for the ladies! An obstacle course had been set up in the dance hall for any young women who wish to participate in a challenge of speed and balance!"

The white haired teen gave the disguised Uchiha an evil smirk.

"Oh no, no way!" she protested.

"Too bad, I participated in the last game now it's your turn." He shoved her forward toward the line that was already beginning to form. Nami ran to catch up with her black haired teammate.

"Good luck you guys!" Kiri shouted from the sidelines.

"Oh no sensei you're going to be in it too!"

"Wha-? Me? But…I'm too old!"

"Nonsense now get your butt over there!"

An arm snaked around Iniru's arm, "Iniru, wish me luck!" Nyomi cooed. The teen released his arm from the girls grip, "Uh, yeah."

She smiled and got in line behind the others.

The obstacle course zigzagged in every possible direction. Miscellaneous objects cluttered the course threatening to trip the applicants if they took a wrong step.

"Alright that was an excellent time of three minutes and twenty-three seconds, next up is Suki Ayada." Called the announcer.

The black haired girl was handed a book, spoon and egg. Suki placed the book on her head, the egg on the spoon, and the spoon in her mouth.

"When ever you're ready Ms. Ayada you may begin."

Suki started through on the path carefully, picking her way through the debris. About halfway into the course an unseen tripwire ended the girl's attempt. The book and egg flew through the air and landed with a crash and splat against the floor.

"I'm sorry Ms. Ayada but I'm afraid you're disqualified."

Suki shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever." She rejoined Iniru on the sidelines.

"Good job, it was better than anything I could have done." He complemented.

"Let's just watch at see how well your new friend does." Said the black haired girl folding her arms across her chest.

Nyomi looked like she was practically floating on the air as she made her way through the course. Not once did the book wobble on her head nor the egg on the spoon. She neatly stepped over the trip line that ended Suki's progress and glided over the finish line. The announcer shouted her time of two minutes and fifty-eight seconds to take the lead. The ambassador's daughter smiled sweetly before leaving to stand amongst the spectators.

Suki glared after her, _Looks like Miss Priss has it going for herself. Nami had better knock her off her high horse and show her what real skill is._

The blonde stumbled through the course, but amazingly the book and egg stayed firmly in place as she made her way through the maze. Suddenly Nami's nose began to twitch.

"Oh no, she's gonna-!"

"ACHOO!" the blonde sneezed upsetting the objects. Gasping as she looked up Nami aimed for the egg and caught it on the spoon without it breaking. A painful thud assured her that the book had landed back on her head. Holding still for a few seconds just to steady the cargo Nami completed the task in a mere two minutes thirty seconds.

"Ladies and gentlemen! A new track record has just been set by Miss Tikoshi!"

The disguised Uzumaki beamed and joined her friends giving them a high five.

"Nami that was so awesome!" Iniru shouted.

"What can I say? Without balance I wouldn't have control."

The genin laughed, the grinding of teeth stopped their laughter. Nyomi got up and left, stomping away angrily.

"Uh oh, hang guys I'll be right back,"

"Don't take too long! Kiri is up next!" shouted Nami.

Iniru left he seat and followed the ambassador's daughter out the door on to the balcony that over looked the garden.

He slid the door shut behind him quietly so not to disturb the girls thoughts.

Nyomi had her hands on the railing and was looking down at the abandoned tranquilly garden below.

Iniru leaned up against the railing next to her so he faced the doors to the mansion.

"So…" He started, "How long you plan on staying out here pouting?"

Nyomi turned so her back was too him.

"Ouch, you really know how to punish a guy don't you?" the black haired girl remained silent.

Iniru sighed and ran his hand through his short hair, "Look, you can't stay mad at Nami forever. She's been raised to be perfectly balanced. We come from a place where if you fall on a mission, you either get killed or left behind."

"It's not Nami... it's you Iniru." She turned to look at him with tears in her eyes.

"Me? What did I do?"

A sharp slap stung the white haired teen's face; he stared at Nyomi too stunned to say anything.

"OH DON'T PLAY DUMB! You save my life, then you start making goo-goo eyes and another girl! I honestly don't know what you see in an ill-bred tramp like her!"

"HEY!" Iniru stood over her threateningly, "That _ill-bred tramp_ is my girlfriend! And if you think my saving you was a way of saying I liked you, then I should have left you back in that ally. I honestly don't know what _you_ see in me. I'm not…normal."

Nyomi wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, "But it's because your not normal that I'm crazy for you." She reached out to touch his arm, Iniru pulled it back sharply.

"No!" he grabbed hold of her shoulders, "Nyomi stop it! Just stop it! I'm not who you think I am so just leave me alone."

"But…"

"No buts! We both have our duties to perform, yours is to stay here and keep the peace and mine is to find those scrolls so I can get home. Our paths may have met for a short amount of time, but now they split and I would appreciate for you to terminate any ideas you have of trying to keep me here!"

The girl nodded, tears falling down her cheeks again.

Iniru turned on his heel and made for the door, "I thought you should know, we're leaving tomorrow morning before the sunrises, with or without those scrolls." He slammed the door shut and walked back to his teammates.

"Come on guys, we're leaving!" Iniru stormed past them.

"What's the hurry?" asked Kiri who had finished the game.

Iniru stopped, "We're wasting time, and I wanna get out of here."

Nami and Suki looked at each other; it wasn't like Inara to suddenly want to leave a party.

The silver haired teen strode down a hallway as his Squad members followed him.

The hallways were dark and musty from the lack of traffic. Dust was stirred up every time one of the genin put their foot down to take another step.

A small shimmer of light from beneath a door caught the Konoha Nin's attention.

"Now I wonder what that could be." Nami asked resting her hand on the handle of the door.

"Well let's go in and find out."

"Isn't that trespassing?"

"No Suki, it's my house remember?"

The door creaked and groaned as Nami slowly pushed it open. The light came from the moon as it shone through a window. The beams rested on a platform in the middle of the room that was filled with empty shelves, supposedly where books had once been.

Kiri ventured in first up to the platform, underneath the glass cover a scroll rested on red velvet perfectly preserved.

"Inara, it has you clan symbol on it!" Kakashi changed back into is usual form minus the dress and into his normal clothes.

"What?" Inara did the same. She walked in and took a look; sure enough the familiar spiral that was on her bracelet was on the scroll, its seal broken.

The Kunoichi struck the glass, shattering it to pieces and bloodying her hand with cuts that healed in moments.

Sasuke and Naruto, now back in their normal forms, gathered around her.

"What does it say?" Naruto asked leaning in closer.

Inara's voice shook, "I-it's from my parents…"

_We of the Ayanomi clan agree to the terms. We would be honored to betroth our only heiress Inara Ayanomi you your heir. Preparations shall be made as soon as possible for the children to meet each other. With the luck of the gods, they will grow fond of each other. May the tides be in your favor,_

_The Ayanomi Elders_

Inara dropped the scroll as all the air felt as if it was forced out of her lungs.

_B-betrothed? But how? Why?!_

"_**Remember your clan's men weren't fertile, my guess hatchling is that they wanted to mix up the gene pool a bit so they could fix that problem and save the clan. It is rather unfortunate, but you have a duty to perform to your clan now. You must find this man and marry him, if you have any respect for your family.**_**" **Added the dragon demon.

_Y-you're right Kasaki but…What about Sasuke? I love him! _

The dragon shook its massive head, **"**_**I am truly sorry little one, but you must end your relationship with him, you belong to someone else now.**_**"**

Sasuke and the others had remained speechless. Inara covered her face with her hands trying to hide her tears.

The Uchiha watched her cry, the thought of comforting her felt wrong, _I-I don't believe this. That kid that came over here every winter was…Inara's future husband! _He felt a sharp pain in his chest. Clutching his shirt he looked at his feet, too disturbed to look up.

"Inara…I'm so sorry," Kakashi touched his students arm. She jerked back violently knocking the pedestal over. It crashed to the ground, shattering, coating the floor in another layer of dust.

The Kunoichi quickly got up and ran out of the room.

"INARA WAIT!" Naruto shouted as he tried to follow. Kakashi's arm stopped him.

"Let her go Naruto, she's got a lot to deal with right now."

"I'm going after her," Sasuke whispered.

The Jonin's head snapped in his direction, "No Sasuke you can't! Seeing you right now would only hurt her more!"

"I have to go! I can't…I WON'T let her do this!" he took a step towards the door.

Kakashi drew a kunai and leveled it with the Uchiha's jugular, "Sasuke listen to me! If you honor her for who she is, you have to stand down. She has a task to perform to her clan, you know that! Just like you have a duty to yours to kill your brother. Would you like it if Inara got in the way?"

"But this is different!"

"NO IT'S NOT! You have your responsibility and she has hers and you must let her perform it even if it means you're out of the picture!"

Sasuke fell to his hands and knees breathing heavily, he growled and slammed his fists into the hard wood floor, denting it. Tear drops fell into the dents forming a tiny pool of salt water.

Naruto averted his gaze from his upset friend, his eyes rested near the upturned pedestal. Next to it another scroll lay on the floor covered in dust. He walked over and picked it up, inspecting it carefully.

"SASUKE! QUIT YOU'RE MOPEING AND LOOK AT THIS!" Naruto shoved the parchment under the black haired genin's nose.

The Uchiha symbol dominated Sasuke's vision; he quickly snatched the paper from his teammate's hands and read it aloud.

_The Uchiha's regret to inform you, that our first heir has disappeared with out a trace. Authorities have been searching for weeks but to no avail. If you wish to still betroth your daughter Inara, we have a second son, the same age as she, who can take his brothers place. We're sorry for the inconvenience; please accept this offer with out most sincere apologies. _

_Uchiha Counsel of Elders _

Sasuke threw the scroll back at his Sensei, "Here Kakashi I believe our mission has been accomplished, but right now, I gotta go find Inara!" he bolted out of the room.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, "Lord Hokage sent us on a mission for this?"

"Well Sasuke's family was one of the strongest in Konoha and Inara's family here. Maybe he wanted to join the countries together with their marriage. Not to mention that it would give this place a chance to become financially stable again." Said Naruto.

The former ANBU starred at his student who had just passed him in wisdom, "Keep that up and you'll be the one teaching me."

**Outer Courtyard…**

Inara stopped in her tracks sobbing to herself loudly; _I have to get out of here, away from him... _"TENAHEI!" The horse appeared swiftly.

"Mistress this cannot continue, you've summoned me three times today." The stallion looked at his owner more carefully, "Inara, what's wrong?"

The Kunoichi wiped her face on her sleeve, "Nothing just get me out of here as fast as you can." She vaulted up on to the buckskins back.

"Inara wait!" Sasuke's voice echoed through the entrance of the mansion. The silver and ebony haired girl kicked her mount in the sides roughly without looking back.

Sasuke ran down the steps, he was too late. The Uchiha starred after his teammate as the darkness swallowed her up.

_Roc's the only one who can keep up with that crazy animal,_ the raven haired boy though to himself. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

An eagle's cry ripped through the night air and a silhouette of a great black bird eclipsed the moon. The raptor landed with a thud as it dug its enormous talons into the dirt.

Sasuke jumped onto the birds back, "Roc, take to the skies and find them!" The eagle shot into the air, it yellow eyes peering into the night. It soared over the city turning its head one way, then another. The sound of hoof beats alerted the raptor as it turned its feathery head to the right.

"Hang on tight Master; it's going to be a bumpy ride." The raptors beak clicked as it spoke.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around the eagle's neck as it let out a deafening shriek and dived towards the ground.

Inara was maneuvering Tenahei in and around the dark streets as best she could without running headlong into anything.

A hunters screech pierced the air when she turned back to look at her pursuers.

"Tenahei faster please!"

The horse shook his mane and obeyed.

Roc narrowed his golden eyes as he closed in on his prey; he extended a clawed foot ready to snatch his target.

The Ayanomi felt large talons grip her torso lifting her off her mounts back, thinking quickly she released her Jutsu allowing the scared horse to return back to where he had come from.

Inara looked up at the predator, drawing a kunai she stabbed the foot that held her.

The black eagle shrieked in pain and lost its grip sending the girl plummeting to the earth below.

"INARA!" Sasuke leaped off the birds back falling rapidly.

"Master!" the eagle hesitated out of shock before folding its wings again for the decent.

The Uchiha pinned his arms against his sides so he would fall quick, out of the darkness Inara's form came into sight. He reached out grapping her wrist and pulled her close to him.

"Don't worry I got you."

Inara looked up, "Yeah but…who's got you?"

A flash of black movement and the soft landing on feathers answered the Kunoichi's question.

"Roc land!" ordered the raven haired genin.

The raptor obeyed, as soon as they were safely back on the ground Inara made a break for it, but Sasuke's grip on her arm stopped her.

"Inara listen to me!" he pleaded.

A slap across the face was his reply, "Let me go!" she raised her free hand again but her teammate grabbed it and held them above her head. Inara struggled to get loose but it was impossible, Sasuke was just too strong for her.

"Are you gonna listen now? OW DAMN IT!"

Inara glared as her foot pinned his to the ground.

"Alright that's it!" with is free leg, Sasuke kicked Inara's feet out from underneath her. She fell with a thud, glinting metal rested by her neck.

Sasuke held Garyuu inches from the girl's neck, the plan worked and she ceased her struggling.

A scrap of paper fell over the Ayanomi's eyes, she picked it up. It was difficult to see in the dark but she could just make out four people in the picture.

"Do you recognize him?" Sasuke kneeled and pointed to the smallest child in the photo.

Inara squinted to see the child's features, she inhaled sharply when the memory came flooding back, "I-it's Onii-kun."

"Well yes, and no. Inara, that's a picture of my family when we were all still together. The older one is my brother, and the smaller one, Onii-kun as you called him…is me."

The Kunoichi was speechless for a few moments, finally her brain caught up with her,"But-but that means…we're…" Despite the sword at her neck, Inara jumped up and hugged Sasuke, tears of happiness fell from her eyes.

He held on to her not wanting to let go, "And to think, we were honoring our clans wishes this whole time."

A flash of light exploded in the sky, the fireworks had started.

"Come on Kakashi sensei and Naruto are probably waiting for us." The Uchiha took Inara's hand and led her back to where Roc was waiting patiently for them.

AN: Okay so the fair sucked, it was like 90 degrees with about 60 percent humidity, and I had to wear black show clothes to show my horse! I got all thirds which isn't too bad considering that some other kids didn't even place. Then on the second to the last day my horse stepped on my foot so hard I had to go to the hospital! Luckily it wasn't broken, just badly bruised. I have to keep it wrapped for a week which sucks even more and I couldn't participate in any of my other shows which really ticked me off! Yeah so that's the run down of the past few weeks, nothing else really happened (unless you count the bridge collapsing, my friend losing a friend, and my bosses dog dieing. I SWEAR THIS WEEK WAS FRICKING CURSED!!!)

AN2: Just and F.Y.I Roc is the eagle god in Greek Mythology so now everyone in Team Seven have summoning animals. I thought of giving Sasuke a bird becaue I remembered seeing him rideing one in the Manga for a space filler, and I had some help with this chapter from 2 of my very best friends, honestly I don't know where I would be without them...and my readers of course. PLEASE REVEIW!!!!


	17. True Feelings

AN: Well chapter seventeen is here, nothing really to report on…god I'm depressed, my reads have dropped from like 58 reads per chapter to like 14. Maybe I just suck as a writer…(this isn't helping much) I started up my painting again after a year or so break and started taking Kyuki-Do (form of martial arts) I've only had one lesson so far but Master Garves says I'm good enough to compete in the tournament on the sixteenth. Well wish me luck because God knows I need it.

Disclaimer: just the thought of owning Naruto sends me into a sparkling world of carnage…but alas I do not.

**True Feelings**

Two eagles soared over the desert sky gracefully. It was hard to believe that only had week had passed since Squad Seven had crossed the wasteland on foot. After recovering the scrolls that deemed Inara was betrothed to Sasuke, (much to their surprise and delight) Kakashi had decided to hightail it outta there before any occurrences hindered their departure.

Inara clung to Sasuke while he instructed the black raptor, Roc as the Uchiha called him, where to fly. Beside them a pure white eagle, apparently Roc's mate, flew next to them carrying Naruto and Kakashi.

"Roc, Kima, land!" shouted the raven haired genin.

The birds obeyed instantly with a soft thud on the desert sand. The oasis the Konoha Nin had encountered on their way to the Wasteland Village served as a rendezvous area for the Team refill canteens and let their mounts rest after a day and a half of flying.

Kakashi jumped off Kima's back as she folded her great wings, "So Sasuke, not that I'm complaining but…where the hell did these raptors come from?"

The Uchiha shrugged, "Their summoning scroll has been passed down from generation to generation, and since Itachi went berserk he didn't consider it worth his time to go back for it; leaving me to use it however I wish."

Squad seven nodded at the explanation and went about their own business.

After a brief swim and some food, it was time to take to the sky again. Roc would screech every once in awhile to alert the larger white predator of a direction change.

"So Master, may I be so bold as to ask what in god's name brought you all the way out here?" Roc's beak clicked at he spoke.

"Are you complaining? Especially after you moaned all day yesterday about how you don't get out much?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

The eagle chuckled, "Not at all, just curious. I've never met the girl before yesterday, so tell me young Master, what have you been up to all these years? I trust your brother and parents are still well?"

A sudden killing vibe sent icy chills down Roc's back, "Okay forget I asked, but I still want to know who the girl is."

"This girls name is Inara Ayanomi." Said the silver and ebony haired Kunoichi pointing to herself.

"Hm. Interesting, Master you never mentioned her before."

Sasuke hit the eagle upside the head, "Just shut up and fly bird brain!"

**Konoha…Night…**

The dark streets were abandoned and silent except for the occasional yapping of a stray dog. The birds landed silently, their riders slid to the ground.

Kakashi stretched and yawned, "Well I've got a mission report to write and turn in first thing tomorrow so sleep in guys, train amongst yourselves."

"Wow Sensei what's with the sudden loose leash?" asked Naruto, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What? You three don't need me. I'm just here to make sure you don't get into any trouble. Well G'night!" the former ANBU vanished in a puff of smoke.

A tick formed over the blonde's eye, "I hate it when he does that. I'll see you two tomorrow okay?" he turned on his heel and headed for his apartment.

Inara shook her head, "Those two will never change. Well it's really late, so I better get going too." She pecked Sasuke on the cheek, "Night."

"My place is closer you know."

Inara stopped, "What? Sasuke I know where betrothed and all but…"

"No no no I didn't mean anything…_wrong_ by it." The Uchiha waved his hands in front of him, "Your house is a long way from here and its dark out…and you never know what kind of perverts could be wandering the streets." He babbled nervously, sure he was going to be a teenager in a few days but that didn't mean he needed to prove anything, "I could make up one of the guest rooms, but if you don't want to I understand."

Inara smiled, it was funny watching the famous Rookie-of –the –Year trip over himself for her sake, "Alright, but only cause you asked so nicely. But if you try any thing funny I'll have Kasaki kick your sorry ass." She warned.

"Deal." The black haired genin took the Kunoichi's hand and headed for his house.

**Uchiha Compound…**

"Wow it's just like I remember it!" Inara shouted excitedly. The hardwood floors, the huge dining and training rooms, the hot springs out back, the Kunoichi maneuvered her way through the mansion as if she had lived there her whole life.

"Hey Sasuke, you still have the old tree-house that your dad built for us?"

The old hang out hadn't been easy to locate thanks to the effects Mother Nature had on the foliage. Mossy vines had to be ripped or cut away with kunai, moss covered the inside floor like a green carpet.

Sasuke had climbed up first to see if the floorboards would hold. The aging wood held firm. He pulled Inara up after checking for anything that would give way.

"Wow, I can't believe this place it still here." She stood up, banging her head on the low ceiling, "Ow!"

The Sharingan user laughed, "I guess we've grown a bit, here let me see. Does this hurt?" he tapped the Kunoichi's skull gently.

"OW YES!" Inara whined, she blushed fiercely when Sasuke kissed the top of her head.

"Better?"

The yellow eyed girl nodded, "Uh huh."

"Good," The Uchiha lay down on the floor tucking his arms behind his head, "Hey remember the time we, hey what's wrong?" Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows.

Inara was sitting on the mossy floor gazing down in front of her with a worried look on her face, "Sasuke…before me…was there…was there anyone else?"

"Is that all your worried about?" he lay back down, "Why the sudden curiosity in my personal life?"

"N-no reason," the Kunoichi stuttered, "I was, uh, just wondering." Inara hugged her knees.

"Hn. Curiosity killed the cat you know."

"Nuh huh, insanity killed the cat but curiosity was framed, just answer the question."

Sasuke laughed, "Okay okay. I used to have a little bit of a crush on Ino and Sakura but Ino turned out to be too much of a playboy bunny and Sakura was too self conscious and obnoxious, major turn off." He rolled over to face her, "Unlike you, you don't care what other people think of you. Sure you maybe a little overactive."

"HEY!"

"What it's true!" The Uchiha smirked playfully, "But your also loyal to your friends, and you know what's worth fighting for." He punched her gently in the arm. "I don't know, I guess after I decided that I needed to avenge my clan I turned into an antisocial bastard who's every vibe screamed, 'get away from me or die!' I drove everyone who wanted to get close away, built an iron fortress around my heart in fear of getting hurt again, when in reality I was lonely. Somehow you picked up on that, I didn't like it at first; like the others I tried to push you away before you meant anything to me." Sasuke chuckled, "I'm a failure on that account."

Inara laughed, "Not completely, I actually thought you hated me; the way you yelled and distanced yourself from me, Naruto and Kakashi sensei. I'm not sure myself how I keyed in on your aloneness, I just did. When I saw your reaction I thought I had hurt you, but then back when Haku had us trapped in the Ice Mirrors, you finally cracked." The Kunoichi shuddered, "I can still feel those stinking needles buried in my flesh."

"You're not the only one. So what about you? Did you like anyone else before we met again?" Sasuke asked looking Inara in the eye.

The Ayanomi swept a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "Well you're going to think I'm just a stupid little girl if I tell you."

Sasuke touched her hand, "No I won't, promise."

"Alright, I used to have this huge thing for Otetsu when I was little, before you were even in the picture."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Otetsu? As in Leader-of- the-Gang Otetsu? The one you killed the shopkeeper for?"

Inara nodded, "The very same one."

"Heh, you're attracted to the leader types eh? What did he look like?"

"Well, if he had lived, he would be seventeen now. He had short, spiked white hair and clear blue eyes."

"That sounds familiar, wait a second, didn't you look like that when you posed as a guy for the mission?"

"Yeah, I based my Jutsu off of what I _thought_ he would look like if he had lived."

"He meant the much to you?"

Inara shook her head, "No, it was just my way of reminding myself that he's no longer around. Sort of like a tribute I guess."

The Uchiha was silent for a few moments so he could process the information he had just learned, "I suppose that makes sense if you put it that way. But you're over him right?"

There was no reply.

"Inara?"

Slow, deep breathing moved the girls frame, she had fallen asleep while Sasuke had been thinking and was dead to the world.

The raven haired genin shook his head; _she must really be tired to fall asleep out here. No point in moving her, she might wake up. _

Climbing down the tree, Sasuke went inside, grabbed a blanket and headed back to the tree-house. He spread the blanket over the sleeping girl and himself, "Good night Inara." He said as he traced the scar over her left eye with the tip of this thumb. Coal black eyes shut, sleep overcame his senses, and soon he too was lost in a land of dreams.

**Unknown Location…**

A man with a white veil covering half his face silently strode into a large room, a Sand Village headband caught what little light there was in the room. Bottles and jars lined the walls on enormous shelves. Inside where powders, liquids, some held preserved animals, while others contained human body parts.

It took all Baki's strength no to gag at the sight as the smell of death and decay clung to the air.

"So you've finally arrived Baki." Said an oil slick voice. "No trouble finding the place I presume?"

The Jonin shook his head, "No Orochimaru, no trouble at all."

The snake Sanin stepped out into a ray of light that shone through a crack in the roof, Kabuto was at his side.

"Lord Orochimaru would like to discuss how your students are fairing in the Chunin Exams and he would like to know if the Sand Village intends to keep their end of the bargain with the Sound Village." Said the white haired teen adjusting his glasses.

"My team is doing quiet well, their excelling at every possible form of training I throw at them. They'll be ready when that 'time' comes. I spoke to the Counsel Elders and they've reached their agreement."

"And?" Orochimaru licked his eye.

"The Sand Village will assist in the Uprising. However, if things start to go wrong from the get go, you can count that we'll pull out and deny all accusations."

Kabuto glared at the man from behind his glasses, "Of course, wouldn't want to get caught red handed now would you? After so many lives were sacrificed in the name of peace."

"Now, now Kabuto, you know very well that the treaty was forced upon the Sand Village. Can you blame them for wanting a little revenge?" Orochimaru smiled.

The teen shook his head.

"After all the Leaf Village did almost destroy the Sand Village in the Great War, I think it's time to return the favor."

Baki spoke up, "It's been my understanding that Lord Kazekage will be present at the final test. Is this true?"

The snake Sanin's eyes shined, "Oh yes that is very true, your Kazekage will indeed be present for the grand event. However, things aren't always as they seem."

The night wore on as the three Nin discussed and planned, Baki's students, especially Gaara would play a key role in the Uprising, even if they didn't know it yet.

**Uchiha Compound…Next Morning… **

Quiet snoring was emitting from the tree-house when Naruto arrived to retrieve his teammates for the morning.

His head poked thorough the floor opening, "Hey Sasuke, Inara, come on let's go get some breakfast, my treat." Naruto's smile fell when he saw his friends sleeping next to each other.

Inara was using Sasuke's shoulder as a pillow, nestled between his body and his arm.

The Uchiha's arms rested on the Kunoichi's waist, part way up her shirt. His other arm was draped over his eyes to block the morning sunlight from waking him.

The Uzumaki glared, sure they were his teammates, but he couldn't help feeling jealous of them, knowing he could never be as close to them as they were to each other.

He threw a pebble at Sasuke's head, it hit.

"Mmmm…what?" the Uchiha sat up carefully so he wouldn't disturb Inara who was still asleep.

"Get up sleepyhead breakfast time, my treat." Said Naruto faking a smile.

"Alright let me get Inara, I'll meet you there."

"Whatever, I'll be at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop." The blonde disappeared.

Sasuke stretched, _what's his problem?_ He crawled over to Inara so she was facing away from him. Waking a sleeping ninja could be very dangerous, if the Kunoichi decided to strike, he would have time to dodge.

"Inara wake up." He nudged her gently. No response.

"Inara time to wake up," he said a little louder this time.

The silver and ebony haired girl moaned and rolled over.

"Don't give me the moan and roll, get your ass outta bed!" Sasuke pulled the blanket covering his teammate down; hopefully the cool morning air would be enough to wake her.

"No mine!" Inara squealed as she grabbed the blanket.

Sasuke sat down, "Geeze, and I though I was hard to wake up."

The Uchiha finally succeeded in getting his girlfriend out of bed after threatening to leave without her, at which her response was, "NO DON'T LEAVE MEEE!"

**Ichiraku Ramen Shop…**

Naruto tapped his fingers on the table counter top as he waited for his teammates. The sound of rapid hoof beats reached his ears. He heard a shrill neigh and hooves skidding on gravel.

"Sorry Naruto, I'm not a morning person." Inara apologized, "Miso ramen with chicken please." She told the girl taking orders.

Sasuke order pork ramen while Naruto had his favorite, beef.

The blonde paid for the meals and began to eat as Sasuke and Inara sat at the far end of the table laughing.

Naruto sighed; it sure was lonely without them yelling at him constantly. _Ah who needs them? I've been on my own before, always have been, this is no different. _He looked down at his food, suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore.

The flaps that served as the door to the store were brushed aside; Hinata took a seat, when she saw Naruto she blushed fiercely.

"Oh! N-Naruto, I-I didn't know you were here." She stuttered as she pushed her fingers together. "Was your mission a success?"

The Uzumaki nodded, "Yeah, turns out the lovebirds over there are betrothed." He gestured towards Inara and Sasuke, as the Kunoichi held out a bite of food for her teammate, she laughed as a bit of sauce splattered Sasuke in the face as he slurped up the ramen she offered him.

Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned his attention back to his own bowl, "So where's Kiba and Shino?"

Hinata took a small bite and chewed it thoughtfully before answering, "Training with Kurenai sensei."

"And you're not with them because?"

"I passed out from chakra exhaustion yesterday so Sensei gave me the day off to rest."

Loud laughter erupted from the far end of the table.

"Wow, they really are in love aren't they?" asked Hinata gazing off in the couple's direction.

"Yeah, I guess" Naruto twirled some noodles around his chopsticks.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" the Hyuga asked.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little jealous that's all."

"Of them?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, they look so happy together; their so obsessed with each other that they don't even notice me anymore."

"Oh I-I'm sorry." The black haired girl apologized.

"It's not your fault, it's just, I've been thinking lately. Is there anyone out there for me? Most people shun me for what I have inside me, maybe I was meant to be alone."

"No that's not true!"

The blonde looked Hinata, surprised, that was the loudest he had ever heard her talk.

"I-I mean, I'm sure there's someone out there for you Naruto, you just haven't found them yet. Everyone has their perfect match; like Inara and Sasuke, they just happened to find each other sooner. I-It may be a few years, b-but when the time is right, you will find that person, or realize that person was there the whole time and you never noticed."

The Uzumaki smiled, "Thanks Hinata that makes me feel a lot better."

"Hey Naruto!" Inara shouted, "You done eating yet? We got training to do."

"Yeah I'm done." He shoved his bowl further back on the counter to be picked up by the waitress, "Um, Hinata? I was just wondering…would you like to come train with us?"

The Hyuga nearly fell off her seat in surprise, "O-of course!"

"Alright then come on," Naruto took her by the hand and followed Inara and Sasuke out of the shop.

**Training Area 7…**

"Hinata have you had any experience with swords before?" Inara asked.

The Hyuga shook her head, "Um, n-no I haven't."

The white and black haired Kunoichi rubbed the back of her head, "Okay then, we'll have to practice with sticks. Sasuke catch!" she threw a large branch in the Uchiha's direction.

"What?" THUD! "OW!" The branch hit him in the head.

"I told you to catch."

Sasuke wiped a small trickle of blood away from his eye, "A warning would have been nice."

Naruto broke off a tree limb for Hinata, then one for himself and waited for Inara to issue instructions as she and Sasuke tossed their sword in a pile off to the side of the training area.

"Hinata you can work with me so I can teach you the basics, Sasuke why don't you and Naruto spar for a bit? Oh and Naruto, no killing please."

"Yes ma'am" the blonde gave his teammate a left handed salute before moving off to begin the fight. Soon the sound of sticks hitting each other rang through the air.

"Alright, Hinata I want you to hold your 'sword' like this." Inara placed both hands near the bottom of the stick.

"Like this?"

"Perfect! Okay now try to take my head off, don't worry I'll block." The Ayanomi assured the black haired girl.

"O-okay." She swung the stick straight for her sparing partner's head.

Inara blocked, a sharp crack resounded, "Nice, but you're leaving yourself open for attacks. Now if I were to do this," the white haired Kunoichi angled her stick down and swung in knocking Hinata's branch to the side. The wood hit the Hyuga's side in a punishing blow. "You'd be dead before you hit the ground." Inara helped Hinata to her feet. "Sorry but the best way to learn anything is through pain. Let's try again."

Naruto and Sasuke sat down after three hours of nonstop sparing.

"Whew…that…was quiet the workout." Said the Uchiha, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, whoa look at Hinata and Inara go!"

The Hyuga arched her stick in for a strike to the side; Inara blocked and shoved her away.

"Fifty yen on Hinata."

Inara aimed for the girls legs; the other Kunoichi jumped evading the attack. The Ayanomi spun and stuck again, Hinata blocked a few milliseconds too late as the branch grazed her arm.

"Not a chance, Inara's been doing this since she was a kid, Hinata doesn't stand a chance."

"So that fifty yen on Inara?"

Hinata twirled the branch in her hand, blocking the white haired Kunoichi's attack.

"Yep"

Taking the stick in one hand, Inara ran forward and slid underneath Hinata's legs. She stood up quickly for the strike, Hinata blocked by bringing her branch across her back.

"Nice one, you learn fast Hyuga."

"Thanks, now try this!" Hinata spun and cut up.

Inara bent over backward, and kicked the black haired girl's weapon out of her hand.

Hinata back flipped picking up her stick as she went, "Sorry Inara, you're going to have to do better than that."

"Hmph, I usually don't go all out on my students, but for you I think I'll make and exception, _Mikazuki no Mai_!" (Dance of the Crescent Moon)

Naruto's eye widened in shock, "Okay that's just cheating! She knows Hinata is low on chak-HOLY!"

Hinata miraculously dodged the attack and activated her bloodline trait, sprinting forward she was able to block off a few of Inara's chakra points before the white haired Kunoichi could do anything.

"I was…wondering when…you where going…to get serious." Inara panted.

"Oh Inara I'm sorry I…" she was cut off as the Ayanomi's branch crashed into the side of her head knocking her to the ground.

"Rule number one, never EVER, feel pity for the enemy." Inara growled.

Crimson liquid matted Hinata's black hair as she laid in the dirt.

"Well that's that, cough in up baka." Sasuke nudged the blonde in the ribs.

"No wait, look!" Naruto pointed towards the sparing females.

"Huh?"

The Hyuga struggled to her feet, "Rule n-number two, I n-never give up, b-because that's my nindo. You may be stronger than me Inara, but you won't beat me!"

"YEAH GO HINATA!" Naruto shouted, his words echoing through the air.

The Hyuga turned pink, "N-Naruto?"

"Hey pay attention Hinata." Inara swung her sword down towards the black haired Kunoichi's head.

The white eyed girl blocked and kicked out, catching Inara in the leg.

"ACK! Nice combo, you're starting to learn how to fight dirty."

Hinata bowed, "Well I learned from the best."

Inara ran forward, cutting up; Hinata leaned back, stepped to the side and sent her elbow in the yellow eyed girl's stomach in one fluid motion.

The Ayanomi fell to her knees clutching her abdomen, she felt wood resting on her throat.

"So do I pass?" Hinata smiled.

Inara laughed as the black haired girl helped her up and the boys came over.

"Ha told ya Sasuke, pay up!"

The Uchiha sighed, "Fine, here." He gave the blonde the money he promised, Naruto took it and wrapped his arm around a very red Hyuga, "Nice work Hinata, lets go get some lunch okay? You pick the place."

The white eyed girl glanced in Inara's direction nervously, the Ayanomi winked and smiled.

"O-okay, I know a place y-you might like Naruto." Naruto followed Hinata, his arm still draped around her shoulders.

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest, "You let her win didn't you?"

Inara smiled innocently, "Who me?"

"Yes you, so tell me, did you plan on Naruto asking Hinata out for lunch?"

"Nope, that was a pleasant side effect."

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, "When will you learn to stay out of others people's love lives?"

"Oh come on Sasuke." Inara whined, "The boy needed help and you know very well Hinata's head over heels for him."

Sasuke laughed, "Yeah your right, but you can't do everything for him and soon you're going to have to let him stand on his own two feet."

"Yeah I know, but where's the harm in helping?"

The Uchiha wrapped his arms around Inara's waist, "You care too much."

"And you don't care enough."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Inara smirked playfully, "I'll tell you if you can catch me." She took off towards the forest, Sasuke close on her heels.

AN: Wow this whole chapter has been one whole love scene! I think all the mushiness has been squeezed outta me! So anyway I have my Kyuki-Do tournament tomorrow and I'm as nervous as hell! Anyway, I wonder what Naruto is thinking about Hinata…I should know this, I'm writing it! But I don't…wow that's sad.


	18. Training Begins

AN: WOOT!! I got a 3rd place in my tournament, beat out a yellow belt when I myself am just a white belt, and lost to a yellow belt by a quarter point! Woot, woot, I rule, I rule, go me, go me…okay that's enough of that. I ROCK sorry had to get that last one out. Anyway moving on, my friend says I'm writing this way too slowly, I mean I'm on Chapter 18 now and the Chunin Exams hasn't even started yet…but I digress.

**Training Begins…**

Sweat stung the blonde's eyes as he blocked another attack from his black haired opponent. Naruto shook his head; his blonde hair was flipped to the side out of his eyes. As the month progressed, the twelve year old had been procrastinating about cutting it so it was allowed to grow to its current length past his head band.

He leapt backwards dodging an attack to his legs, he then swiftly sent his elbow smashing into his opponents stomach, sending them backwards gasping for breath.

Inara's voice rang across the field, "Nice move Naruto, Sasuke pay attention damn it! Now again!"

The black and blonde haired genin returned to their starting positions before running through the attack patterns again.

The black haired genin feinted to the left and sent the blade deep into Naruto's shoulder.

The Uzumaki wheezed and took a step back before slashing Souhi upwards causing his opponent to dance out of reach nimbly.

"Hey Blondie! Watch the flow of the body, no matter where the body goes the hips will always tell you where their going! Oh and good job knocking Naruto off balance. You guys learn quickly. Now once more I don't want any excess movements in your attacks, it's sloppy and could get you killed. NOW GO!"

"You don't have to be so hard on them you know." Said Sasuke, leaning back on his hands.

Inara whapped him upside the head, "People learn through pain, just like you." The Kunoichi added smiling.

Sasuke snorted but redirected his attention back to the fight.

Naruto had decided to use his size to his advantage and knocked his opponent to the ground. Straddling his opponent he put a hand on one shoulder and leveled his claymore with the black haired genin's jugular.

Naruto gave a wide grin, "Nice fight Hinata, but I win."

The Kunoichi blushed and was unable to avert her eyes from the blonde that was practically sitting on top of her. She dropped the simple katana, accepting defeat.

The Uzumaki grabbed her hand and pulled Hinata to her feet. The two walked over to Inara and Sasuke. The silver and ebony haired Kunoichi tossed them some bento boxes.

"Eat up guys you've earned it."

The Hyuga nodded as she unwrapped the bento box. She had been training with Naruto and his team for the past two weeks to better her swordsmanship. Hinata hoped that by getting stronger physically and mentally so she would be able to advance her training using the Hyuga technique, Juken (_Gentle Fist Technique_). She wanted to surprise her teammates and family with the new found stamina and strength she had gained. But now, just like everyday she had to rush back to her own team before her lunch break was over and return quickly later in the afternoon for a few more hours of training.

Hinata finished half of her food, bowed and left to rejoin her own team.

Inara stretched, waking up her numb, unused muscles, "Well, I guess it's our turn then, Naruto watch and take notes."

Sasuke sighed as he got up and dusted himself off. He cracked his neck and drew the blue and black blade from its black and silver sheath.

The Ayanomi drew Kunatzu from its crimson and gold sheath, "Let's make this interesting so Naruto doesn't fall asleep again shall we?"

The Uchiha rested Garyuu on his shoulder, "As you wish."

** A Few Hours Later…**

Inara pushed herself up off the ground for the last time, Sasuke was standing triumphantly over her, "Muscles…screaming…can't…go on."

The Uchiha knelt down next to her, "Oh quit being such a drama queen, let's go to the hot springs to unwind a bit."

The Kunoichi was gone in a heartbeat, a trail of flames followed in her wake. Naruto and Sasuke sweat dropped, "What happened to her muscle pain?" asked Naruto.

The Uchiha shrugged, "You ask me no questions I tell you no lies."

** Local Hot Springs…**

Due to the gender differences Inara had from her teammates, they had to go their separate ways as soon as they entered the facility.

Inara placed her clothing in the locker and turned they key locking it as the coins clinked down into the collection box.

The mist was so thick the silver haired Kunoichi probably wouldn't have needed the towels covering her femininity, but none the less she wore them out of modesty.

Slowly and carefully so not as so irritate her aching muscles, Inara eased herself into the hot water, the towels still firmly in place.

"Ah! I-Inara sensei…w-what are you doing here?" asked a timid voice.

"Hm? Hinata how many times do I have to tell you not to call me sensei? You make feel old, and weren't you training with Kiba and Shino?"

The Hyuga nodded, "Y-yes, we finished and Kurenai sensei brought us here to relax."

Inara hugged the white eyed girl suddenly, "Yeah now I have someone to talk to!"

Hinata blinked confused, "W-what about N-Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun? Didn't they come with you?"

"Well they did but thanks to nature, we had to be separated by this," she knocked on the wall separating the female bath from the males.

Quiet giggling reached the girls ears.

"What the hell?" Inara got out of the water and headed towards the noise, Hinata close on her heels following out of curiosity.

** Meanwhile… **

Naruto and Sasuke met up with Kiba and Shino, casual conversation ensued.

Kiba bragged how he would flatten anybody that stood in the way of his becoming a Chunin.

The Squad seven males just sat and rolled their eyes, they knew better.

"Hey Shino," Naruto asked, "Where're you're kikai bugs?"

The insects that usually swarmed the Aburame's body were absent, highly unusual.

"Um…their here…sort of." Shino scratched his head distractedly.

"Yuck, their in your hair?" Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow, trying not to gag.

"Not exactly, they don't really like chemically treated water all that much so…" the skin on Shino's had began to move in unnatural ways; as the bug shapes tried to push their way out of Shino's skin.

The hair on the back of Sasuke and Naruto's necks stood on end, horrified looks covering their faces.

Kiba just about drowned from laughing as the males of Squad seven inched towards the opposite end of the hot spring.

"Sorry Shino but that's just…not right!" Naruto shouted from across the pool.

The Aburame shrugged, "Its okay I'm use to it by now."

Akumaru, who was sitting on Kiba's head, barked loudly towards the separation wall. The Inuzuka turned to see what was upsetting his pet, "Hey guys isn't that Inara and Hinata? And where did all those women get the pitch forks and lit torches? And why are they chasing an old man down the street in just their towels?"

Three heads turned to see Inara wrapped in her still dripping towels brandishing her sword, leading a pack of furious half dressed women down the streets of Konoha.

"DEATH TO THE PERVERT!!" she yelled as she ran in front of her teammates without even realizing it.

"And that's your girlfriend," said Naruto, turning his head to follow the commotion.

Sasuke sunk down until the water was about level with the bottom of his eyes.

It was about this time the white haired man spun around and shouted much to everyone's surprise, "I'm not a pervert! I'm a super pervert!"

Shino sweat dropped, "How did they manage to light those torches in a damp area?"

Sasuke sunk even further into the water, _I told her those Jutsus were for emergencies only…not for lighting torches to lead naked women in an uprising! _

"Hey Lover boy," Naruto tapped the Uchiha on the head repeatedly, "Shouldn't you stop her?"

The black haired genin sent an icy stare towards his teammate, but got out of the hot water nonetheless (towel in place, sorry girls not going into that kind of detail).

Inara and the angry mob cornered the white haired man a few blocks south of the hot springs, they gathered around him so he wouldn't be able to escape.

The old man's eyes were darting from left to right and back again nervously until Inara pushed her way towards the man, sword drawn.

"L-look here young lady I was…just doing some research!" the white haired man pleaded.

Inara smirked, "A likely story."

"B-but it's true! Here I'm an author see?" he took out an orange book. Inara immediately recognized it as the book Kakashi always had with him.

The Kunoichi snatched the book away from the man, while he protested about it being unfit for a child her age.

She flipped through the pages scanning the paragraphs for anything she could use against the author, it wasn't long before the orange novel fell to the dirt; Inara's face was frozen in a grimace.

"You've got some nerve writing stuff like that you pervert! Now be prepared for the consequences! Right girls?" she acknowledged the half dressed women behind her.

A streak of black knocked the Ayanomi to the ground and away from the old man, "Urg, Inara what did I tell you about leading the village women in an angry mob?" Sasuke asked as he held the squirming girl down.

Inara ceased her struggling, "To not to. But Sasuke he's a peeping tom! He was watching us while we bathed!"

The Uchiha's eyes became very cold and dangerous, "I don't care if he was…what!" he growled, he turned his fury on the white haired man, just before he was able to sneak away.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

It was Inara's turn to restrain her teammate with a head lock, "Sasuke what did _I_ tell you about killing mercilessly like your brother?"

"To not to," hissed the Uchiha through clenched teeth.

Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata caught up with the action just as Kakashi came storming down the street.

"I can't leave you three alone for two hours and you've already stirred up enough trouble to start a civil war! I want to know who's responsible for this!" all fingers pointed at Inara.

Kakashi sighed, "I should have known…"

"But sensei I have a perfectly logical explanation for all this!"

The Jonin folded his arms across his chest, "This'll be a first, alright, what happened and I want the truth Inara not some cock-bull story you made up."

The Kunoichi rubbed the back of her head nervously, "Well uh you see sensei, we went to the hot springs after training to relax…"

"Yes that would explain why you were running half naked down the street in broad daylight, because I sure was hoping this wasn't a new pastime for you and half the women of Konoha."

The male genin present snorted with laughter, Inara blushed fiercely, "Um Hinata and I were just minding our own business when this pervert," the Ayanomi pointed at the white haired man, "Alerted us of his presence by giggling while, we later found, that he was watching us!"

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched, "I beg your pardon sir but…what are you some kind of freak?! I should report you to Lord Hokage immediately,"

The old man tensed.

"However," Kakashi continued, "I believe in a fair trial and I know for a fact that my students tend to…overextend the truth, I wish to hear you side of the story."

The white haired man jumped forward, "Well you see sir, I'm a very famous author and I was merely to a little bit a research when this…this…brat attacked me for no reason!"

"LIAR!"

"Sasuke enough let the adults handle this." Kakashi scolded.

"What adults?" the Uchiha hissed quietly.

"I heard that, five laps around the village for you when this whole ordeal is sorted out." Kakashi spotted the book on the ground and picked it up, his visible eye widened as he read the cover, "D-don't tell me that you're the author of this book!" the Jonin looked from the orange novel to the white haired man.

"Why yes I am, you recognize it?"

"Recognize it? I've followed the story plot from the beginning! So that would make you Jiraiya-sama!"

The white haired man bowed, "The one and only, Jiraiya the Toad Sage!"

"More like purvey sage if you ask me." Naruto whispered to Kiba.

Kakashi looked like he was on the verge of tears, "I-I-I can't believe you're actually here, I mean…wait…what are you doing here?"

The toad sage did a hop skip before answering, "I was just passing through on business when I stopped to do some research locally for my next book."

"Ah I see, well we won't get in your way." Kakashi turned and started to walk off.

"BUT SENSEI!" Inara protested. Jiraiya tried to slip past her.

"Not so fast you!" she grabbed Jiraiya by the back of the shirt, "Who says that _we_ won't report you to the Hokage huh?" she pointed to the women behind her, "I should just turn you over to them and see what they do to you."

"No no no P-please I beg you not that have mercy! Anything but that!" pleaded the author.

Naruto smirked evilly, "Anything you say?"

Sasuke had a scared look on his face, "I got a bad feeling about this."

** 3 Hours Later…Dusk…**

"Okay then it's settled, we'll all meet in the mornings as usual for swordsmanship or training with Kakashi sensei. We'll break for lunch then go our separate ways until the next day." Said Sasuke laying out the battle plan for the next week until the Chunin exams start up again.

"Inara will train with Kasaki, I'll go with Kakashi, Hinata will go back to her team and Naruto…gets to work with Child Groper over here." The Uchiha gestured towards Jiraiya with his thumb.

"For the last time my names not Child Groper, or Purvey Sage! It's Jiraiya! And why should I be helping you little twerps huh?"

Inara glared at him, "Because the government severely punishes child molesters."

The white haired man returned the glare, "And what makes you think Lord Hokage will believe anything you tell him?"

The Kunoichi put on a very innocent face, complete with big watery puppy eyes, "L-Lord Hokage, a-a white haired man…he…he touched me…in…in very bad places. He…kept talking about all the bad things he wanted to 'do' to me…p-please…make him stop." The cute face vanished replaced by a smirk.

"Why you little sadistic demon bitch…" a vein in the Sanin's forehead began to throb visibly.

Inara rested her chin in her hand, "And damn proud of it."

"Cool it you two, Inara, quit acting innocent and purvey sage, behave yourself, or it's a one way trip to Hokage-sama's office if you don't." Naruto ordered.

** Two Days Later…**

Naruto growled in frustration, walking on water was a lot harder than he thought. He let his concentration wander for one second, _splash_, and he was in the water again. His blonde hair clung to his face, "I don't see how this is going to help me with anything purvey sage!"

Jiraiya giggled, watching his 'research' a few meters down stream.

A smooth rock found its way from Naruto's hand to the old man's head.

"Hey are you listening!" the blonde shouted.

Jiraiya rubbed where the rock had hit, "Okay okay okay, do it again."

The Uzumaki glared but obeyed, gathering chakra to his feet and took a hesitant step out on the water's surface…two steps…three steps…_SPLOOSH_. He resurfaced spitting water out of his mouth.

Jiraiya was rolling on the ground laughing and holding his stomach, "I'm sorry, but you're just so helpless!" said the toad sage wiping a tear from his eye.

"GGRRR HOW ABOUT YOU QUIT LAUGHING AND TELL ME WHAT I'M DOING WRONG!" Naruto shouted.

"Fine don't get your trunks in a bundle. From the looks of things you're exerting too much chakra on a fixed area. Try easing up a little and let out constant short bursts, one after the other."

The blonde sighed, what was the point he was just going to end up swimming with the fish again, wait a minute he was still above the water, "Eh? No way! Hey ha ha this is easy!"

"Okay sparky, keep practicing that, I got something new for ya now." Jiraiya gestured for Naruto to come back in.

The Uzumaki put his clothes back on and sat down.

The toad sage produced a scroll from his shuriken pouch, "Here sign this with your blood."

"My blood? What exactly is thi…"

"Do you wanna learn the Jutsu or not?"

The blonde nodded.

"Then sign that now, ask questions later."

Naruto unrolled the scroll; numerous names filled it including Jiraiya's, biting his thumb hard; the Uzumaki added his name to the others.

"Okay now what?"

Jiraiya smiled, "Now kid, you're ready to learn summoning."

** With Sasuke…**

"Okay Uchiha, this is the _only_ Jutsu that I learned on my own without copying it with the Sharingan, so pay attention!" said Kakashi putting his book away, "It's called _Chidori_, (One Thousand Birds). This is an extremely dangerous Jutsu…on second thought I don't think I should even be teaching it to you."

"Come on Kakashi! You can't tell me the name then not teach it to me!" Sasuke protested.

"I was kidding, but before we do anything, let me tell you right now not to over do yourself with this or you'll kill yourself got it?"

"yeah yeah whatever."

"Sasuke…I'm serious, for this Jutsu to work you need to get faster. Not to mention the deadly drawbacks it has to it."

The raven haired genin raised an eyebrow, "Drawbacks?"

"Well for starters I'm limited to performing it four times a day, I'm not sure how many you can do yet, surpass that limit and death is guaranteed. Secondly, you'll be moving so fast you have to travel in a straight line when you attack, thus using tunnel vision so you'll be vulnerable to surprise attacks. You might be able to avoid that however because of the Sharingan. And lastly if you put too much power into it, you could burn your hand off. Still want to use it?"

Sasuke nodded, "All that stuff can easily be avoided."

Kakashi nodded, "Alright, first we need to get your speed up, put these weights on and do some laps around the village." The Jonin handed his student four fifty pound weights, "Oh and uh, not pit stops either."

The Uchiha heir took the weights and strapped them on, "I'm outta here." And took of running as fast as he could, Kakashi _walking_ beside him, "By the way, happy birthday Sasuke."

The genin just about fell over in surprise, "What!"

** With Inara…**

_**"What to teach you, what to teach you hatchling. How about…no you know that one…um…hhmm. This is going to be harder than I thought."**_ Said the dragon demon pacing inside the Kunoichi's head.

_How about something I can use my sword with? I only know one Jutsu that requires it._

_**"Gah, again with the pointy metal stick, fine let me think a bit here. You know Mikazuki no Mai (**__Dance of the Crescent Moon)__**. So let's try…Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte.**_

Inara cocked her head to one side, _"Thunderbolt Strike? Never heard of it, but it sounds cool! What does it do?" _

_**"Ha I knew you'd like this one hatchling, you've always had a…attraction to things that burn. Alright, to put it simply you'll be able to create several bolts of lightning and send them where ever you wish…within a certain range of course." **_

_Sweet! When do we start?_

_**"Right now, close your eyes, form the seals, and concentrate on your sword. I want you to picture lighting wrapping itself around your blade.**_

The silver haired Kunoichi did what she was told, nothing happened.

_Huh? Kasaki, nothings happening._

_**"Shush, try harder; try to feel the electricity in your hands, running through your body. When you find it, direct it to your sword. **_

Inara tried again, with the same result.

"_**Well now you know what you need to work on. You keep doing this and I'm gonna go take a nap."**_

The genin sighed, _for how long?_

_**"Mmm…until I say you can be done, or until you're able to get a constant stream around that metal stick, which ever comes first." **_

****

****

The first day of training was murder for all three genin; their teachers had been ruthless and unforgiving of any mistakes that were made. Compared to Jiraiya and Kakashi, Inara had it easy training with her demon.

Dusk was setting in when Inara heard a knock on her apartment door; she pulled something out of the oven then when to answer it.

"Oh hey Naruto! Thanks for coming, presents go…" Inara looked around her small apartment, "Well any where I guess."

The blonde set the box he had been carrying down on the small coffee table in the living room/kitchen. "Wow you really went all out with this huh?" he said looking around.

Garish colored streamers clung to every square inch of the ceiling. Balloons were tied to all places where things could be tied; a giant bright banner dominated most of the wall space.

"You think I overdid it?" Inara asked sweat dropping.

"Hmm…how do I put this nicely…yes."

Inara was about to clock Naruto when another knock on the door interrupted her.

Kakashi walked in before the Kunoichi could open the door.

"Ah my eyes! I'm gonna go blind!"

The Ayanomi crossed her arms, "Very funny Sensei." She took the present he was holding and put it on the table along with hers and Naruto's.

The Jonin took a seat on the sofa across from Naruto, "Well I thought it was, so tell me…what's with the big to do?"

The white haired girl was busy frosting a small cake, "Well we were too busy with the Chunin exams to celebrate my turning thirteen; it's like you turn over a whole new leaf in life. Well anyway, I just don't think anyone's birthday should be ignored."

"So we'll be doing all this when I turn thirteen too?" Naruto asked.

Inara laughed, "You bet!"

"What about me? I'm your teacher after all."

"Uh Sensei? You never told us your birthday; you just told us your name." Said Naruto.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I can't believe it's only been a few months."

Naruto rested his head in his hands, "Yeah seems like years doesn't it? Hey Inara how long have you and Sasuke been together?"

The Kunoichi licked some frosting off her finger, "Um…It'll be two months in a week."

"The same time the Chunin exams start up again."

"Uh huh." Inara used a small fire Jutsu she learned from Sasuke to light the thirteen candles that were stuck on top of the white mound of chocolate and vanilla frosting.

Quiet rapping on the door threatened the sudden dropping of baked goods by a certain girl. "Oh crap he's early! Quick guys hide!"

"What? You didn't tell him about this?" asked Kakashi as he forced himself _under_ the couch. Naruto squeezed beneath Inara's bed.

"Well uh…no?" the knocking came louder this time, "I'm coming!" quickly hiding the cake and presents, Inara made her way to the door.

"Hi…Sasuke…your early." She panted.

"Inara you okay?" The Uchiha walked in, his teammate shut the door behind him.

"Oh yeah I'm fine."

Sasuke looked around the apartment and noted the decorations, "Okay what's going on?"

"I-I uh…Happy Birthday?"

The black haired genin snorted.

"What's so funny?" said Inara placing her hands on her hips.

"Ah nothing, just, next time you get an idea like this…tell me first. That way I can prepare for the barrage of color."

"You are so mean!"

"That's it I can take it anymore! Need air!" Naruto emerged from under Inara's bed, "Hey Inara, did you know you got enough dirty socks under there to gas an army?"

"I was wondering where those went, thanks Naruto you just saved me hours of looking." Said the silver haired girl, a vein throbbing above her eye.

"Uh, guys? A little help?" said a muffled voice.

"What the hell was that? Inara how many people did you hide in here?" asked Sasuke looking for the source of the noise.

The white haired girl laughed, "Just two, Naruto and oh crap Kakashi sensei!"

"Where the hell could you hide him?"

"Oh there are places, like under the couch for instance, Naruto can you lend me a hand here?"

After a few minutes Naruto and Inara were able to pry the sofa off their teacher.

"Gah, so many dust bunnies, Inara don't you ever clean this place?"

"Look you, if you're going to insult my home then out!" she pointed towards the door.

Sasuke and Naruto hit the floor laughing.

"Hey you, you wanna open your gifts or not?" asked the Kunoichi kicking the Uchiha in the side.

"Okay okay, sorry who's should I open first?"

A bright orange box was chucked at his head, "This one!" shouted Naruto.

Sasuke caught it and took a seat on the couch. Carefully, so he wouldn't tear the paper, he began unwrapping the box.

"Oh god he's a paper saver!" yelled the blonde

"Huh what?"

"Just tear it! The worlds not gonna end if you do!"

"Okay okay sheesh." Orange paper fell to the floor, after a small struggle with tape the Uchiha opened the box, "Hey sweet a new set of kunai, thanks baka I've been meaning to replace these dull old things." He threw one at the wall to prove his point, the weapon just glanced off.

"There's more in there." Said the Uzumaki.

Sasuke dug through the box some more, he laughed when he saw what it was, "A sharpener too?"

Naruto nodded, "That way you can break the new ones in gradually while salvaging the old ones."

"Good idea Naruto."

"Purvey sage put something in there too, I don't know what it was."

The Uchiha's face turned red when he found Jiraiya's 'gift'.

"Well Sasuke what is it?" Naruto asked.

"Uhhh… something I won't be using for a very long time."

"Okay now you've caught my interest," Kakashi looked in the box and started laughing, "Well protection is important."

"Shut up!" The embarrassed teen threw the object at his teacher.

Inara sat watching them, confused, "Sasuke what did Jiraiya send you?"

Kakashi held up a small white square.

It was the Kunoichi's turn to change color, "I'm gonna kill him I swear!"

"You and me both." Said Sasuke picking up a green package, "This one's from Kakashi sensei."

A scroll of C-rank fire Jutsus and a set of arm and leg weights were set off to the side by the kunai and sharpener.

Inara handed the Uchiha his last gift, "This one's from me."

Dark blue paper was torn off a pair of hand blades each about a foot long.

"Whoa, did you make these?" he held them up for Kakashi and Naruto to see. One dagger had a hilt like an eagle and the other a dragon.

"Yep and let me tell you it wasn't easy, the blades are a stainless steel and the hilts a brass alloy to help reduce weight. Their small enough to hide in clothing yet long enough to stab your opponent when you don't have enough room to wield a sword."

Sasuke inspected the weapons carefully; the feathers of the eagle were very distinct as were the scales on the dragon. The wings of the two creatures wrapped around their bodies hiding them from view. The razor sharp blade was held by the claws of the winged animals, their heads pointing to the floor. "The eagle looks like Roc."

"I tried to base them as closely to the originals as possible."

Kakashi took the dragon blade from the Uchiha turning it over in his hands, "Then the dragon must be Kasaki?"

Inara nodded, "As close as I could get it to look like him."

Naruto took the dagger from his sensei. The piercing eyes glared back at him. Teeth hung just under the jaw line of the predator, spikes covered its spinal column all the way down to the tip of its tail. Upon closer inspection Naruto noticed the wings of the dragon were torn badly, as if something with claws had ripped them to shreds. "So that's what he looks like huh? He looks kinda, beat up."

The Kunoichi bit her thumb nail, "Well Kyuubi didn't exactly give him an easy time."

The blonde glared at her, "What's that supposed to mean!" he hissed.

"Well I'm starving, Inara how'd that cake turn out?" interrupted Kakashi.

"Cake? Inara you know I don't like sweets right?" said Sasuke giving her a look.

"Yes sourpuss I remembered." She went to the cabinet and produced two cakes, one smaller than the other.

The Kunoichi set them on the table in front of her teammate, "Okay make a wish and blow out the candles."

The Uchiha thought for a second, the candles were extinguished and slices were being handed around. Sasuke took a bite from his personal cake and coughed, "Inara what did you put in this?"

"What? It's the same recipe but without the sugar.

Kakashi snorted, Naruto just about fell off the couch laughing, Sasuke shook his head.

"Well fine then Mr.Smarty I'd like to see you make a cake without sugar and still expect it to taste normal."

"Inara, there is such things as _artificial _or _natural _sweeteners." Wheezed Naruto, almost choking on a mouthful of cake.

"Oh, oops."

AN: Okay this has got to be the funniest chapter I've ever written. So…I got a new puppy, a black female Pomeranian and my mom decided to name her…dare I say it…Foxy. Anyway she attacks my feet every morning when I get up for breakfast. Um…nothing else really to report on…oh I unlocked like six new characters on my Naruto Clash of Ninja 2 game; now I have to get Orochimaru for fifty thousand coins, each battle gives me two hundred. For all you math people out there that's two hundred and fifty battles! Man I got my work cut out for me.


	19. Fight To the Top

AN: Hmmm, what to report this time…school's started up…which sucks. Oh big thanks to dangerDOOM for the NCoN2 advice, Oboro mode is awesome! First try I defeated like 96 clones. Umm…so yeah…OH MY GOD! I just realized that I haven't been putting disclaimers on my chapters! Oopsie, heh heh.

Disclaimers: wow this is the first one in awhile, sheesh what to say this time…ah screw it, you all know that I don't own Naruto or any other of the characters (except for the one's I made up)

**Let the Battle…Begin**

_Blood hit her in the face, a body fell to the earth. Yellow eyes pierced the darkness, evil chuckling echoed throughout the room. She knew that laugh, only her father possessed a laugh that could send waves of fear down her spine. _

_A door to the dark room opened, a man stood wide eyed. He stared right past Inara._

_"W-what have you done! Where is Lord Kazekage?!" shouted the man. _

_An arm flew through the air, pinning the startled man against a wall. He gasped as his eyes adjusted to the dark, "L-Lord K-Kazekage?! Why?"_

_Squelching was heard as the man's throat was separated from his neck. _

_Orochimaru licked the blood off his hands, "Sorry but, your Kazekage has some…unfinished business to attend to. Fushi Tensai!" (Living Corpse Reincarnation) _

Inara sat bolt upright gasping, what had she just seen? Was it a nightmare? No, it was too real to be a nightmare. A flash of lightning tore across the sky, there would be no getting back to sleep now. She sighed and got out of bed, her foot stepped on something soft.

"I-Inara, c-can't breath." Wheezed a voice.

"OH MY GOD!" the Kunoichi flipped on a light and sighed with relief when she saw who it was. "Sasuke, what're you doing on my floor?"

"To tell you the truth I don't know."

"You don't know."

"I remember Naruto and Kakashi going home after the party, and then we talked for a bit then…a blank."

Inara rolled her eyes, "We probably just got tired and fell asleep."

Another flash of lightning raced across the night sky, a roar of thunder followed a few seconds later shaking the apartment.

"Whoa, gonna be hard sleeping through that." Sasuke made his way to the window. Rain started hitting the glass panes hard.

Inara sat down on her bed; she was still shaking from her dream. What was her father doing? What did he want with the Kazekage?

Sasuke sat down beside her, "Inara you okay?"

The silver and ebony haired girl nodded, "Yeah its nothing." She lied.

Just then the lights flickered out.

"Oh great, a power outage, just what we need."

Inara made her way through her apartment after successfully finding a few chairs with her foot. Much cursing and crashing later, she lit a few candles and placed them around the apartment giving it a warm cozy look.

"Well I for one am not going to be able to sleep through this." said Sasuke looking out the window again. Another flash of lightning and a crash of thunder proved his point; he sighed and sat back down on the floor.

"Damn ninja reflexes." Said the yellow eyed girl as she sat back down on the bed with a yawn.

Sasuke laughed, "Well there's only one thing you can do in a situation like this."

Inara raised an eyebrow, "And that would be?"

"It's an old Uchiha tradition, when ever a number of us couldn't sleep we all went to the kitchen and made hot chocolate."

"Tradition? What happened to your dislike of sweets?"

He shrugged, "This is the only exception."

Inara laughed, "Sounds like a good idea, oh wait…the powers out so the stove is kaput."

The Uchiha flicked her on the forehead, "God your dense, we just use some fire jutus."

"Just as long as you don't burn my house down," said Inara rubbing the sore spot.

"Wow this is really good!" exclaimed Inara taking another sip of the hot liquid. "What's in this?"

"I can't say it's a secret family recipe."

"Everything's a secret with your family isn't it?" the Kunoichi teased.

"Yeah well what can ya do?"

** The Next Morning…**

"Sensei's late again." Naruto paced the bridge impatiently.

Hinata had been too busy with her team to train with Team seven this morning so it was just the three of them.

Inara yawned, then Sasuke.

"What's wrong with you two? Storm keep you up?"

The black haired genin nodded.

Naruto laughed, "Ha I didn't hear a thing."

"Well excuse us Mr. I-can-sleep-through-a-tsunami." Said Inara staring down at her reflection.

Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves, "Good morning everyone."

Sasuke shot the Jonin an irritated look, "You're late again."

"Oh quit your complaining. Come on we've got training to do."

'Training' turned out to be a stealth exercise in a lake just outside the city gates, a large cliff overhang cast most of the pool in shadow. The water was freezing thanks to the previous night's rain, but Naruto cannonballed in nonetheless.

Sasuke knelt down and tested the water with his hand; it was really, really cold, "Sensei, are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked sticking his feet in the frigged water.

The former ANBU was fully clothed, he, unlike his students would be staying dry during this exercise, "If it wasn't would I be making you do it?"

"Yes"

"Good point, where'd Inara get to?"

"YEEHAW!" The Kunoichi leaped off the cliff in to the water, splashing Sasuke and Kakashi.

"We should've seen that coming." Kakashi shook his head, sending water droplets everywhere.

A pair of hands gripped the Uchiha's ankles and swiftly pulled him into the water.

_Should've seen that coming too._ Thought the Jonin.

Sasuke opened his eyes beneath the water, a grinning Naruto and smirking Inara greeted him. He glared at them. His teammates swam off quickly. He gave chase, following Inara, then Naruto when the Kunoichi had given him the slip. Finally they had to come up for air.

Kakashi sat reading his book, "Now, if you three are done goofing off, we have work to do. As you know this is a stealth exercise. What I want you three to do is swim as quickly as you can, but without making a sound. I'll have my eyes shut, if I hear you, a kunai will be sent in your direction understand?"

The genin nodded.

"Alright then, begin!"

Naruto snuck through the water silently, _ha this is easy._ His arm came up out of the water and hit the surface making a noise. Naruto had to dive to dodge the kunai sent his way.

Inara swam in a circle silently. Dog-paddle seemed to work the best because she didn't have to risk slapping the surface of the water in a front stroke. She exhaled, sending the water rippling. A kunai was sent flying.

Sasuke was the only one that was able to remain completely silent during the exercise. Inara and Naruto had to dodge for their lives as one kunai after another was sent their way. Eventually the weapons ceased flying through the air. Twenty minutes of silence pass before Kakashi opened his eyes.

"Okay not bad, not good either. Line up until the water's two feet from the top of your shoulders. Now we're going to work on speed."

Team seven raced through the water, so far it was a three way tie, and then Naruto pulled out ahead of Sasuke and Inara taking the lead and the win. The blonde grinned triumphantly.

The day wasn't over yet; after five more races, Kakashi had them punching and kicking underwater as hard as they could.

"The point of this is to increase your strength. If you can punch as fast you can underwater as you do in the air, your speed in the air will increase."

Many aching muscles later it was time to call it quits.

Team seven walked down the street back towards their homes.

"So what have you guys been working on?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi is teaching me an assassination Jutsu called _Chidori_."

"And Kasaki and I have been working on a sword technique called _Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte_." (Thunderbolt Strike) I can show you guys how far I've gotten if you want."

"Uh no thanks Inara, we value our lives."

"Very funny Naruto, so what are you working on?"

The blonde hesitated, why did his teammates have such cool things to work on while he was stuck with summoning? _Probably because they already know it._ He thought about Roc and Tenahei. Both creatures were impressive, meanwhile all he could summon was a tadpole. "Um…Just some summoning and walking on water, just refining the stuff I already know." Lied the blonde.

Inara cracked her knuckles, "Cool! Perfect the basics, they could save your life someday."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "What are you a fortune cookie?"

Chunin exams were a day away, and Squad seven was still training. Swordsmanship had to be canceled due to the lack energy everyone was experiencing. So now all efforts were centered on their individual Jutsus.

** With Naruto…**

"Okay kid it's time to see how far you've gotten."

The blonde nodded, "Right. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A small tadpole with legs flopped on a rock. Jiraiya sweat dropped.

"This is the best you can do? What if this was a life or death situation! What would you do then huh?" yelled the sage.

Naruto clenched his jaw, "Hey this isn't easy! And who cares if this is all I can summon? My live doesn't depend on it!"

"Oh yeah?" Jiraiya picked his student up and swung him over his shoulder.

"Put me down purvey sage!"

Roughly a mile down the road, a steep cliff was concealed by a row of shrubs.

The toad sage threw his quarry over the top of the bushes, "Now it matters!"

Air rushed past Naruto's head, the roar was deafening. _That bastard just threw me over a cliff! Oh shit…now I'm gonna die, unless…Okay you stupid fox, time to pay rent_. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The Uzumaki hit something solid with a grunt of pain.

"What the? Where the hell am I!" said a voice.

Naruto rubbed his head where he had hit it, "Huh," he crawled towards the back of the object, "Whoa, I-I summoned this?" he made his way to the amphibians snout.

"Hm? What's a pipsqueak like you think you're doing?"

Naruto stood on the toad's muzzle, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and you are my summoning animal."

The giant toad began laughing, "Me? The great Gamabunta be the servant of some kid? I don't think so."

"What! But that's not fair, I summoned you so you gotta do as I say, like Tenahei and Roc!"

The frog exhaled; a cloud of smoke made Naruto cough violently, "AAHHH, Tenahei and Roc you say? It's been awhile since I've heard those names. But nevertheless, they listen to their summoner because they are worthy enough to command them. You on the other hand are no where near close enough to control me. If you're lucky I might make you one of my henchmen."

"Gggrrreeeaaattt, not. Can you at least get us outta this ravine?" asked the blonde.

Gamabunta glared at the genin, "Alright, but only because I don't want to stay here forever." With a mighty leap the toad jumped from the ravine to land back on solid ground.

Naruto slid off the frog, his legs shaking.

Jiraiya sweat dropped, _Uh oh, what's he doing here? Better make a quick getaway!_

"JIRAIYA! What is this child doing with the toad scroll?" roared the amphibian.

"Uh well uh, I can explain."

** With Sasuke…**

Sasuke was panting hard, bracing himself with his hands on his knees so he wouldn't fall over.

"Hmm, looks like your good for about two bursts, go over that limit and you'll end up killing yourself." Said Kakashi looking up from his book, "You need to work on your aim," the Jonin walked over the boulder. Two gaping holes went clean through it. "This one's off by a quarter of an inch. Pull that out in the battle field and you'll fail to kill your target."

Sasuke straitened, _If I use the curse mark I might be able to pull off one more attack._

"SASUKE!" Kakashi shouted, "I know what you're thinking and no, activating your curse seal won't give you more power in the long run. If you give into it, it will eventually take over; then as a Konoha ninja, I'll have no choice but to take you out. Please, don't make me do that to my own student."

The genin glared at the ground, why wasn't he stronger? Weeks of training resulted in only two successful attacks? Why couldn't he be more like Itachi and master everything that was thrown at him in a matter of days? _I'm tired of living in my brother's shadow. How can I hope to defeat him if I remain at this level? I have to get stronger, I have to beat him. For the sake of the clan, I swear I will surpass him, even if it costs me my life. _

"You can quit hiding, we know you're there."

Kakashi's voice abruptly ended the Uchiha's train of thought.

Gaara emerged from behind a rock, glaring at student and teacher.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he rasped, "As of now, you are my prey and remember this; I will stop at nothing until you are dead."

The raven haired boy felt his insides begin to churn, the red head's killing aura was overpowering, "Oh yeah? You want to kill me that badly huh? Any reason in particular?" Sasuke's face remained calm even if his gut was screaming at him to run away.

Gaara was silent for a moment, "You have friends that care about you and would lay their lives down for you. I do not. I have no one but myself; I love only myself and care only about my self. My soul purpose in life is to kill. If you have no purpose in life you might as well be dead. So as long as there are people in this world that can be eliminated, I can remain alive."

Kakashi stretched, "Well aren't we just a fricken ray of sunshine." He wasn't worried about the foreign genin, death threats were quiet common a few days before the final exam; none of them were actually followed through. "Look you, Gaara was it? You better get back to your own team before I report you for misconduct."

The sand Nin stared blankly at the former ANBU, "Remember what I said Uchiha. Your death will make me feel more alive then ever." With that Gaara turned at left.

** The Next Morning…**

"Come on you two! We're gonna be late!"

"Hold your pants on Naruto we have plenty of time." Inara told the blonde when she and Sasuke arrived at their usual meeting spot.

Squad seven walked down the busy streets, dodging people who were also on their way to the stadium where the match was to be held.

"Can you believe their allowing that demon child to fight?" said a short brown haired man.

"I couldn't believe it either, what the hell are they thinking? Have they forgotten what that _thing_ did twelve years ago?"

Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists; he was the demon child they were referring to. None of the villagers new about Kasaki, when Inara had arrived in Konoha the Hokage had kept it top secret so she could lead a normal life. Unfortunately for Naruto, he was never given that chance. He had been scorned by the villagers, picked on and ridiculed to no end.

"The only reason I'm going to this is to see the Uchiha, I hear he's the top of his class." Said the brown haired man.

"I heard that too, his battle will be the most interesting to say the least. I hope they pin the demon child against him. I wanna see that brat get what he deserves."

Naruto's hands were shaking now, self-control was difficult to maintain at this point.

"Don't listen to them Naruto." Sasuke reassured him, "We know the real you."

The blonde smiled, "Thanks Sasuke."

"Yeah well…don't get used to it, you're still a baka."

Inara cleared her throat, "Uh guys, I hate to break up the male bonding but…if we don't move it, we're gonna be late for the opening ceremonies!"

"Summoning anyone?" asked the Uzumaki forming the hand signs. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" A huge frog the size of a house appeared underneath Naruto. Inara's jaw dropped, Sasuke had a what-the-hell-is-that look written all over his face.

Roc and Tenahei appeared in clouds of smoke, "Let's go!" the blonde shouted, Inara kicked her horse in the sides, "Roc take to the sky." The black eagle shot upward.

** Konoha Stadium… **

The Hokage greeted a man with similar clothing. "Greetings Lord Kazekage, I'm glad you were able to make it here."

The Kazekage nodded, a white veil covered his face so only his eyes were visible.

The white and blue robe he wore touched the ground as he and Sarutobi took their seats.

The stadium was filled to maximum capacity and people were still arriving.

"There sure are a lot of people here this year." Said the Hokage.

"Yes, I imagine their here to see the last Uchiha make his big debut. I know that's what I'm here for."

A Jonin with scars all over his face suddenly appeared in a swirl of leaves, "Lord Hokage forgive me for interrupting but all the teams are here and accounted for except for squad seven. Shall we disqualify them?"

The elderly man sighed, "I guess we better, the people will be upset but we don't give special treatment to anyone."

"Give them five more minutes," said the Kazekage. "Like I said before most of these people are here to see the Uchiha and might turn violent if they don't get what they want."

Sarutobi thought it over carefully, if a riot broke out there would be many injuries and possible death. On the other hand they could get violent if forced to wait too long and it wouldn't be fair to the other genin that had arrived on time.

"They have three minutes no more, no less."

Kakashi stood in the crowed looking around frantically, "Sure, the one time I'm on time their late! If they don't get here soon, training tomorrow is going to be hell."

A loud banging of doors brought everyone's attention to the east gate.

Inara galloped Tenahei to where the rest of the genin were gathered and dismounted as Roc soared over the top of the stadium. The bird skimmed the ground and Sasuke leapt off.

A large frog cleared the top of the stadium; landing right just inches from the spectators, Naruto slid off the animals back, "We're not late are we!"

Kakashi just about fainted with relief; _Leave it to them to make a flashy entrance. _

Sarutobi slapped himself in the face, "Those three…maybe we should have put them on a team together."

Naruto, Sasuke and Inara waited for the startled proctor to answer them; their summoning animals waited for their masters to give the okay to leave.

"Uh…no you just made it." Said the Jonin picking a senbon needle up out of the dirt and putting it in his mouth.

Three clouds of smoke dismissed the creatures from the stadium.

Squad seven took their places amongst the rest of the genin.

The proctor cleared his throat, the senbon needle lodged in his mouth like a blade of grass, "Alright, this must be everyone. My name is Genma and I'll be the proctor for the last part of the exams. Here's how things are going to work, we paired up each team to fight and each individual on that team to an individual to the opposing team. Because there are so many important people here and we don't want to waste their time, we've limited each match to ten minutes. Just as before I will judge the match and deem if one opponent is no longer able to fight to avoid any deaths. Please take care to not hit the spectators with any Jutsus. Chakra shields have been put in place for safety reasons but they do weaken with time, so just watch it. Well that's everything, now the first two squads up are Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga; you will be fighting, in this order, Tenten, Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga."

The white eyed girl gulped, she would have to fight her own cousin. Neji smirked,_ Fate smiles on me. I guess I was destined to become a Chunin this year. _

"All those of you who aren't fighting please head up to the observation deck." Genma nodded towards an overhanging on the west side of the stadium. Kiba and TenTen stayed, glaring at each other.

Genma raised his hand, "Okay let the first match of the final test…begin!" he brought his arm down and leapt out of the way.

Tenten reach for a scroll, "Let's get this started! _Tobidogu!_" (Projectile weapons) eight kunai, one on each of her fingers (not the thumbs) appeared out of nowhere.

"I specialize in close combat, face it kid, you don't stand a chance."

Kiba smirked from underneath his hood, "Here Akumaru have a snack," he threw a red pill to his dog, the canine gulped it down. The fur on the dog's back began standing on end, turning first yellow, then orange and finally red.

Tenten took a hesitant step backward, _what the hell did he do? No matter, the dog will be easier to take out than the master._ "Hey doggie…FETCH!" the brown haired Kunoichi threw all the kunai in the small animal's direction.

Akumaru dodged to the side and leapt forward, biting down hard on the girls forearm.

Tenten flung the dog to the side and quickly wiped away the blood on her arm, "_Shoshoryu!_" (Twin Rising Dragons)

Black smoke dragons intertwined their way through the air as two hidden scrolls shot into the sky. Tenten back-flipped into the center of the dragons.

Kiba tensed, what ever the Kunoichi was planning, it wasn't good.

Akumaru barked as a barrage of kunai, shuriken and other deadly weapons flew towards them.

The Inuzuka was frozen in shock; Akumaru bit his master's leg in attempt to snap him out of it.

Kiba dropped to his knees protecting the dog as the metal weapons rained down on the earth.

The brown haired boy coughed, blood flowed from his mouth; five or six kunai were lodged firmly in his back. "A-Akumaru…you…okay buddy?"

The dog whimpered and licked the boy's face.

"We…can't give up…can we? After…all the hard…work we've done." Kiba struggled to his feet, "Okay…let's give them something to remember us by eh boy?"

The dog barked.

"_Shikyaku no Jutsu!_" Finger nails became claws, teeth and hair lengthened. Kiba crouched down on all fours growling angrily, "_Jujin Bunshin!_" (Beast Human Clone)

A cloud of smoke was blown away, two Kiba's advanced Tenten snapping and snarling.

Tenten threw more kunai guided by Nin wire. The feral duo caught them in their jaws and tossed them aside. "Double Piercing Fang!" Akumaru and Kiba both leapt in the air and began rotating rapidly. In the confusion, Kiba grabbed Tenten by the wrist and dragged her within the rotating mass.

The brown haired Kunoichi screamed in agony as claws and teeth tore her apart. She fell to the ground bleeding heavily.

"TIME'S UP!" Genma shouted, "The win goes to Kiba Inuzuka!"

"Yeah!" the brown haired boy punched the air.

Medic's rushed out and lifted Tenten onto a stretcher for treatment.

"Next up is Shino Aburame and Rock Lee!"

The two genin jumped down form the observation deck.

"And…Begin!"

Kakashi looked around the stadium, _Hm…one…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten, only ten ANBU for a stadium this size? That's nowhere near enough, what's Lord Hokage thinking?_

Sarutobi exhaled, a cloud of smoke drifted from his mouth.

"You really shouldn't smoke Lord Hokage, it's hazardous to your health." Said the Kazekage. "At your age you should think about a replacement, have anyone in mind?"

"Replacement? Whatever for? I don't plan on dying for quite some time yet."

"If you say so Sarutobi, if you say so."

** With Shino and Lee…**

_What! Impossible, my bugs should have eaten all his chakra by now! How is he still moving! _Shino was frantic; his kikai bugs seemed to have no effect on the green clad Nin.

"_Kanoha Senpu!_" (Leaf Hurricane)

Shino hit the concrete wall hard; the wind was knocked out of him.

"Your insects won't work on me because I do not have the kind a chakra that they like to eat."

"W-what…but how?"

"It's simple, I cannot use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, and so I have perfected my skills in Taijutsu. You don't stand a chance. _Kanoha Sofue_!" (Leaf Rising Wind)

A powerful kick sent the Aburame skyward, "_Kage Buyo!_" (Dancing Leaf Shadow) Lee's arm wrappings came undone and wrapped around Shino's airborne body. The black haired genin began spinning quickly head first towards the ground, he let go just as Shino's head smashed into the dirt.

"AND TIME! Round two goes to Rock Lee!" Genma announced.

Lee helped Shino to his feet and they both returned to the waiting area.

"Would Hinata and Neji Hyuga please make their way down to the arena?" Genma shouted.

Hinata gulped.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto walked up and gave her a hug from behind, "Be careful alright?" he released his grip on the black haired girl.

Poor Hinata was speechless; all she could do was nod and blush. She headed for the stairs, "Wait!" Naruto shouted.

"Here, take this, you may need it." He shrugged Souhi off his back and handed it to the Kunoichi. Hinata stared at the weapon, this was Naruto's sword, his personal weapon and he had just borrowed it to her.

"T-thank you N-Naruto."

"No problem just try to win okay? Teach you're cousin that life doesn't rely on destiny and fate."

The Hyuga nodded, "I'll do my best."

The Uzumaki kissed her forehead, "I know you will."

Hinata looked like she was about to fall over as a whole new shade of red took over her face.

"Go knock 'im dead…literally." Smiled Naruto.

"Uh…y-y-yes…" She left the platform.

Inara leaned up against the railing, "Naruto that was really stupid of you. Hinata won't be able to use your sword because it will only respond to your chakra."

The Uzumaki's face fell, "Damn it!"

** Down In the Arena…**

"Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga, are you both prepared to fight?" asked Genma.

The genin nodded.

"Alright then, begin!"

Neji and Hinata began circling each other searching for weaknesses.

"Why did you even bother showing up? You know you're destined to lose here today." Said Neji throwing the first chakra laced punch.

Hinata dodged, "Because I decided that I'm not going to run away any more Neji! Never again! Because that's my Nindo!" The black haired girl drew the sword from the blue sheath; it was feather light.

"Hm, the main branch is as ignorant as ever I see." Neji dodged a swing of the claymore, a few black hairs fell to the dirt, "What? How?!"

Hinata smiled, "I'm not the weakling you knew before Neji, I've been training with Inara sensei and I don't plan to let her down! _Mikazuki no Mai_!" (Dance of the Crescent Moon)

"ROTATION!" Neji blocked the attack by spinning rapidly in a circle; Souhi just glanced off him uselessly.

"Foolish, you think you can beat me with a simple sword technique? You make me sick!"

Hinata lowered the tip of the sword so it lay in the dirt, "Why Neji? Why do you hate the main branch so much?"

The white eyed boy smirked, "Why you ask? You of all people should know. Eight years ago the town celebrated the end of the war with the Land of Lightning. We Hyuga's celebrated because it was your third birthday. That night an intruder broke into your room and kidnapped you, but before he could get away your father stopped and killed the man. And do you know who it was?"

Hinata shook her head, she didn't remember any of this; she had been too young.

"It was the head ninja of the Land of Lightning, with which Konoha had just signed a peace treaty with. Turns out they wanted a member of the main branch so they could steal the Hyuga kekkei genkai (bloodline trait) Byakugan. The Kage of the region was furious. It was decided quickly that payment would be a life for a life. Lord Hokage tried to negotiate but the Land of Lightning threatened with war, so the payment would be as decided. However, they were deceived. Instead of receiving the corps of the head of the main branch, they were sent the body of _my _father, Lord Hisashi's younger brother."

Hinata gasped and covered her mouth, "T-that's awful."

Neji glared at her, "It gets worse. When I turned eight a mark was put on me by force," he removed his headband; a curse mark was scrawled across his brow. "This mark allows those of the main branch to control us of the lesser branch. We become slaves in our own family. My father was sacrificed to keep the main branches record clean!"

"N-Neji, I-I had no idea, I-I'm so sorry." Hinata took a step towards her cousin.

"ENOUGH! I don't need your pity; I'll prove to you main branch bastards that the lesser branch isn't some pack of dogs you can order around!" Neji disappeared and reappeared behind his cousin, his chakra laced foot sent her flying as it connected with the middle of her back.

"HINATA!" shouted Naruto from the stands. "GET UP! YOU CAN'T LET HIM WIN!"

"Naruto enough, look." Sasuke pointed to Hinata's small form. The black haired Kunoichi struggled to her feet; blood splattered the ground when she coughed.

"She's hurt!"

"Naruto calm down, she's still fighting." Inara reassured him.

The blonde's hands fell to his side as he watched the Hyuga's battle each other, _come on Hinata you can do it. Use the sword, if you can lift it, there must be something very special about you. Don't give up. Please…don't stop fighting. _

Neji dodged a kick from the black haired girl, "It's useless if you can even land a hit."

Hinata aimed a punch at him; Neji grabbed hold of her arm and with blinding speed cut off all her chakra points.

The white eyed girl winced and pulled her arm back, it hung limply at her side.

_I-I can't do it, he's too strong. No…I can't give up, Naruto's watching me for once, instead of the other way around. I have to show him…how strong I am! _

Gripping Souhi in her good fist she sprinted forward.

Neji snorted in disgust, "You don't know when you're beaten do you? Fine I'll make sure you stay down this time!" then ran forward to meet his cousin's challenge.

The claymore cut deep into flesh as a flat palm hit its target in the chest. Both genin flew back wounded. Seconds ticked by, neither of them moved.

Naruto inhaled sharply, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the metal safety bar in front of him, _no; no she can't be…c'mon on Hinata, move, MOVE! _

The crowed gasped as one of the genin pushed themself to their feet.

"I told you Neji, I wasn't going to let Inara sensei down." She helped her cousin sit up as the medics came out and lifted him onto a stretcher.

"N-not bad Hinata. Y-you've gotten stronger. I guess…destiny has chosen you to move on."

The black haired girl whapped him upside the head. Neji blinked, dumfounded, it wasn't like Hinata to strike him for no reason.

"That was from Naruto, he said that destiny has nothing to do with it. It's the choices you make that decide where you go in life."

The male Hyuga smirked, "That blonde fool."

Hinata made her way back up to the observation deck. A beaming Naruto greeted her.

"Congratulations Hinata! You did it!"

The Kunoichi blushed, "I couldn't have done it with out you cheering me on and…mmff."

Sasuke's jaw just about it the floor, Inara shut it for him.

"Well I guess our blonde baka has some moves after all eh Sasuke?"

The Uchiha laughed, "I guess so."

Hinata wrapped her arms around the Uzumaki's neck, lost in the pleasure.

The blonde broke contact, his arms still clinging to the Hyuga's small figure, "Um…sorry…I just couldn't stop myself." He whispered.

"I-It's okay, because all this time…from the very first time I saw your determination…um…I guess what I'm trying to say is…I-I love you Naruto." Hinata hugged him even tighter, she just admitted her deepest secret and for once her face stayed its original color.

"Hinata…I…all this time I thought I was alone, but now I realize that you were right. My special someone was there all along and I didn't notice. And now that I've got her," he tightened his grip around her waist, "I'm not about to let her go."

AN:AAAWWW okay so this story is now officially Naru/Hina and Sasu/Inar YEY! Now I have to come up with mushy crap for both of them. Oh well. I finally got Orochimaru on NCoN2! I only fought with him once but I broke all my previous records! Well that's all I got to report on sorry this took so long.

P.S. I'm thinking about starting another story called A Twist of Fate. It's kind of a spin off of Cinderella. So if you think I should write and post it please tell me either in a personnel message or a review. Thanx!


	20. Battle Tactics

AN: Oh my god I am so sorry this took so long! School has been running me ragged lately and I haven't had time to touch my computer. Ok whew got that taken care of. I had a promotional exam for my Kyuki-Do class on the 23rd. I passed so now I'm a yellow stripe!

Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this again? Do you people have any idea how hard it is for me to be creative with this stupid disclaimer? No? Trust me it's extremely difficult for me to come up with a cleaver way to say that I don't own Naruto.

**Battle Tactics **

"So let me get this straight, Hinata was able to use Naruto's sword because it recognized her determination and will to win?" asked Sasuke gripping the railing to the observation deck over looking the Konoha arena.

"How that hell does that make sense? I'm the one who forged it and I didn't even know it could to that!" exclaimed Inara. "I guess you two really are alike after all."

The Hyuga blushed; Naruto smiled.

"Would Shikamaru Nara and Dosu Kinuta please make their way to the arena at this time?" said a voice over the announcement system.

Shikamaru yawned, "Well I guess it's my turn…how troublesome."

"Alright good luck Shika!" shouted an overly excited Ino.

"Ino pig, you're scaring me."

"Shut up billboard brow! At least I don't make babies cry." Smirked Ino.

The Nara rolled his eyes, "I hope this Dosu guy kills me…then I won't have to listen to you two nagging all day." He left the two Kunoichi's yelling at each other, a glare from Gaara and his siblings was enough to silence them.

Naruto scratched his head, "Dosu? Why does that name sound so familiar?"

Inara shrugged, "Not a clue. We'll find out soon enough though."

Team seven inhaled sharply as a charred body entered the arena.

"T-this…can't be…" (_Inara_)

"Impossible!" (_Sasuke_)

"We-we killed them…we saw it with our own eyes!" shouted the blonde.

"Apparently you didn't do a good enough job." Grinned Temari.

The silver haired Kunoichi's eyed widened in horror when she saw Temari's headband hanging loosely around her neck. Inara's knuckles cracked as she clenched and unclenched them.

_S-Sand Village? Their from the Sand Village? Why didn't I notice it before? They're the ones who…my family…it's their fault…I'm alone because of them! _

The sand Kunoichi felt Inara's freezing gaze rest on her, "What? You gotta problem with me?"

The Ayanomi ground her teeth together, _They did it…It's their fault…They killed them…my family…I finally know, and they have the nerve to come here and face me? _A cruel smile spread across the girl's face, _I'll make them suffer…suffer so much they'll wish they'd never been born. I'll make them beg for mercy, beg for death and slowly…death will come I swear it in the Ayanomi name! Sand Village blood shall quench Kunatzu's thirst!_

"Hey! I asked if you have a problem, kid!" the blonde girl shouted.

"No, no problem at all. Everything's just…perfect." Inara said coolly.

A shiver ran down Sasuke's spin, _T-that blood lust…It's like his…the night he…_ The Uchiha shot a look at the sand siblings, _Sand Village? No wonder Inara's furious. Looks like I'll have to up hold my end of the promise first then. _

**Down in the Arena…**

Shikamaru tucked his hands in his pockets lazily, "You look a little charred. Get burnt playing with fire?"

Dosu didn't answer, only glared.

Genma cleared his throat, "If you two are ready we can begin this match."

"What a drag…lets just get this over with."

"BEGIN!"

The sound Nin fazed out of view.

Shikamaru felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand on end, _ok…can't hit what I can't see…hm…entertaining at least. _

A flicker of movement caught the Nara's eye.

"**Kyomeisen**!" (_Vibrating Sound Drill_) A wave of sound rushed towards Shikamaru.

_What! When did he? _He threw up he arms and blocked the attack; dirt and grit were blown into his eyes forcing the Konoha genin to close them. _What? I'm…not hurt…but then...what was that? _A wave of nausea forced Shikamaru to be sick, "Well that was unexpected." He wiped his mouth. "But now I know your secret. You attack with sound waves and pressure so it'll mess with my inner ear and make me lose my balance…or my lunch." The brown haired boy stood up and tore the sleeves off his jacket, "But how can you attack with sound, if I can't hear it?" quickly he waded the cloth up into small balls and stuffed them in his ears.

Dosu glared at the Nara and disappeared again, Shikamaru closed his eyes and dodged as a fist came flying his way.

"Hm…You missed. When you cut off one sense, the others become stronger, I just hindered two and you've grown careless…**Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu!" **(_Shadow Neck Bind_) Dark forms of hands slipped from Shikamaru's shadow and shot towards Dosu, crawling up his body and around his neck.

The Sound Nin clawed at his throat for a few moments before falling forward, face first into the ground.

Shikamaru released the Jutsu and removed the scraps of cloth from his ears.

"Winner Shikamaru Nara!" shouted Genma as medics rushed to Dosu's side. The brown haired genin returned to a beaming Ino and frightened looking Sakura.

"Wow Shika! That was sssooo awesome!" squealed Ino.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Meh, it was nothing once I figured out his main attack. Well I'm gonna go take a nap."

"I'll come with you!" Ino offered, Sakura grabbed her by the back of the shirt.

"Hey Ino pig, you still have to test remember?"

The blondes face fell, "Oh yeah…I forgot about that."

Sasuke nudged Inara with his shoulder, "See? Told ya, she's a playboy bunny."

The Kunoichi didn't laugh; instead she continued to glare down into the arena.

"Would Zaku Abumi and Ino Yamanaka please enter the arena at this time?" announced the proctor.

"Well that's me!" Ino punched the air enthusiastically.

Zaku stepped out of the shadows and promptly leaped down from the observation platform to the battle area.

"WHAT THE FUCK! Did we kill any of them?" Sasuke shouted pounding his fists on the safety railing.

Naruto stretched his arms behind his head, "They're like cockroaches! You can't get rid of them!"

"Anyone got any bug spray?" asked Inara. Hinata snorted with laughter then turned very red.

**With The Kages…**

The Jonin with scars across his face appeared in a mass of leaves, "Lord Hokage I've just received some very disturbing information on the condition of Dosu Kinuta."

Sarutobi turned to face the Jonin, "Yes, what is it?" he whispered.

"Well it seems sir that he was already dead when the medics brought him into treatment."

The Hokage raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You mean to say the Nara killed him?"

The scarred man shook his head, "No sir, he's been dead for quite sometime. In fact this quick autopsy report says he's been deceased for at least a month if not more."

The elderly man took the report from the Konoha Nin's hand and looked them over, "How is this possible?"

"The doctors suggested that a reanimation Jutsu was probably placed on him right when he died, that would explain the unhealed burns."

Sarutobi stroked his beard, "The only person I know that is strong enough to perform that Jutsu for such a long amount of time is an old student of mine. And if he's returned we need to keep our eyes peeled."

"Is there something wrong Lord Hokage?" asked the Lord of the Sand Village.

"No, no, no, an…unsettling matter has just come up. Nothing to worry too much about."

"I see." The Kazekage sat back in his chair.

Sarutobi leaned in towards the Jonin, "I want all the ANBU on high alert, if Orochimaru does show up; I want him taken down immediately."

The scarred Nin nodded, "Yes sir!" and disappeared.

Ino stretched her arms behind her head, "Look you," she said to Zaku, "I don't expect you to go easy on me just because you think I'm cute."

Sakura snorted from the viewing platform, _oh please, a decayed animal is cuter than you Ino pig. _

Zaku stared at the blonde girl with a blank face.

Genma spat on the ground, "Enough with the talk and more with the fight, begin!"

"**Zankuha**!" (_Decapitating Air Waves_)

The air began to warp around the fixings in Zaku's hands until a visible ball of air rested in each of them. The orbs shot forward as if propelled from a sling shot towards Ino.

"Yikes!" The Yamanaka flipped out of the way. The orbs kept traveling until they blew a massive hole in the arena wall.

Ino's eyes were the size of dinner plates, "What the hell was that! A cannonball?"

A foot caught the Kunoichi in the stomach sending her backwards.

"Okay buddy you asked for it!" said Ino wiping spit from the side of her mouth. "**Shunshin no Jutsu**!" (_Body Flicker Technique_) Ino's body disappeared from the arena.

"Where did she go?" asked a woman in the stands.

"There she is! Above him!" said another.

Zaku's face connected with the ground when Ino's foot smashed it forward.

"Ouch I bet that had to hurt." Said Ino landing on the tip of her feet like a cat.

The Sound Nin shook his head and glared at the girl, "**Bunshin No Jutsu**!" (_Clone Jutsu_) Ten Zaku's surrounded a confused Ino.

_C-clones? Oh crap! Alright don't panic…any smart clone user would send the clones in to do the dirty work while he just sat there and recuperated. So the real one must be…_The blond looked around, _their all in a perfect circle! I can't tell which is which! Fine I'll just have to take them all out. _Ino leapt into the air spinning and kicking out as she went, she caught two clones with her foot .They disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hm, two down, eight to go."

Round offs and round house kicks took care of six of the eight, now only two remained.

Ino punched at one, missed, then kicked at the other, and missed again. _Damn it! I can't tell which is which if I can't hit it! _

The two Zaku's ran in separate directions, circling around the girl.

_Okay weird, why does one stir up dirt while the other…oh yeah! _"**Shintenshin no Jutsu!" **(Mind Body Switch)

The Kunoichi's spirit sped towards the real Zaku, freezing him in place.

_Ha, got ya, now to make you surrender…what? I can't…move…what's going on! _

The Kazekage smiled, _Silly girl, you can't control a puppet. It's the person pulling the strings you need to go after. Now Zaku, finish her off. _

The sound Nin forced Ino out of 'his' mind, while the clone held her body in a head lock.

Taking her arms in his hands, the clone placed its foot in the middle of her back and pushed out hard.

The other genin watched in horror as the girl screamed in pain, the clone proceeding to dislocate her arms.

_No…I'm not going to lose like this…can't let Billboard Brow laugh at me! _With extreme flexibility the Yamanaka swung her leg up and caught the clone in the head making it disappear.

Zaku growled like an animal baring his teeth. Ino smirked and cracked her shoulders.

The Sand Village leader smiled beneath his face covering, _Hm…that girl is impressive…I think that little performance earned her the right to win. _Orochimaru twitched his fingers, calling his chakra back to him.

In the arena Zaku suddenly went limp and fell to the ground; the white mist of death clouding his eyes.

Genma scratched his head, "This has got to be the weirdest exam ever held. Winner, Ino Yamanaka."

A confused Ino made her way back to the stands to be congratulated by just about everyone.

"Not bad Ino Pig. I almost thought you were going to give up." Said Sakura.

"It's weird, my mind control Jutsu didn't work. It's like he was already being controlled."

Shikamaru leaned up against a wall, "Sounds fishy. Who do we know that would want to tamper with the exam? And the other question is…why?"

"Could be the Sound Village." Suggested Naruto who had been listening in on the conversation, "They are a small country and want as many of their ninja to pass as possible. I wouldn't put it past them to use mind control."

"That's true," agreed the Haruno, "But one of their ninja already lost. If they were using mind control, the controller would have sensed it and given up on the Jutsu to try something more effective."

"I think we should wait until they reveal themselves, that way we'll know for sure, instead of just pointing fingers." Said Shikamaru lazily.

"Okay next up is Sakura Haruno and Kin Tsuchi, you guys know what to do." Genma yawned.

Sakura turned to leave when Inara stepped in her way, "Hey Sakura…uh…I just wanted to wish you luck I guess. So…um…don't go getting killed."

The pinked haired Kunoichi looked at her former classmate quizzically, "Yeah, okay. Thanks…I guess."

Inara immediately relaxed, "Kick her ass for me. She sent a Senbon needle through my leg during the forest of death and I've been meaning to pay her back."

Sakura nodded, "Will do."

"Wait one last thing. Some of her needles have bells on them, don't be fooled by them. She sends out bell-less ones at the same time to confuse you; that's how I fell for it."

"Thanks for the warning, but I'll be fine." The Haruno descended down the stairs to enter the arena where her opponent awaited her.

Inara returned to the overlook, resting her elbows on the railing. Sasuke came and stood next to her.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing really, I'm tired of fighting with Ino and Sakura. I wanna try and smooth things over."

A gust of wind sent leaves and small bits of dirt skittering across the ground. Inara breathed in the scent of trees, sweat, metal, and dirt. Somewhere nearby someone was burning a leaf pile, the scent was too clear to be missed by her nose.

"Cedar?" Sasuke's voice made the Ayanomi jump.

"What?"

"You changed your shampoo to cedar didn't you?" he asked smirking.

Inara felt her face start to turn red, "I-I can't help it…I like the smell of the forest. I mean look where I grew up. No trees, plants or even grass, I guess the smell just attracts me."

"Okay you two should know by now what to do, begin."

Sakura threw a handful of kunai in Kin's direction; the black haired girl deflected them easily.

The sound Nin jumped forward hurling a fistful of Senbon needles.

Sakura blocked a little too late as the weapons left shallow scratches on her arms.

_Shoot! If I'm going to win this I have to pay better attention AAHH! _

A rough hand grabbed hold of the girl's hair and yanked it backward. Sakura stared into Kin's cold black eyes.

The Sound Nin smirked and drew a kunai, _Shing!_ Kin blinked as Sakura danced away leaving her holding a fistful of pink hair.

"Sorry but you're not winning that easily." She said giving her opponent a wink.

Kin growled and threw more Senbon needles; _POOF_ 'Sakura' suddenly became a log. The Kunoichi ran up from behind kicking out, Kin jumped causing the girl to slide harmlessly across the ground, _POOF_ then disappeared.

The black haired girl looked around confused.

"Up here!" came a shout, Kin's head snapped skyward as her opponent landed on her, kunai drawn.

The weapon sunk into the Sound Nin's arm, teeth gripped the other as Sakura bit down hard. The sound of cracking bones made the crowed wince.

Kin's fist slammed into the Haruno's skull, blood ran down the side of her face, she refused to let go.

_Are you watching Ino? I'm not going to loose to you anymore! _A foot connected with Sakura's stomach and sent her flying; she slid across the ground before coming to a stop.

Kin smirked cruelly.

The Konoha Nin struggled to her feet, her head felt like it was spinning as she stumbled forward.

"Yo Billboard Brow! Get your head in the game and beat this bitch!" shouted Ino from the observation platform.

_I-Ino? She's right, it isn't like an 'A' student like me to give up so easily. _She shook her hear to clear away the dizziness.

The sound Nin cracked her neck and sprang forward as Sakura took up a defensive stance.

A blue sandal was buried into the charging girl's abdomen, stopping her little sprint. Another foot sent her flying to the side into a tree on the far right hand side of the arena.

Kin struggled to her feet.

_Better finish her off quickly_ thought Sakura gripping several kunai in her hand. Small exploding pouches were attached to the weapons.

Kin blocked the kunai as they came in contact with her skin, the small pouches burst scattering exploding tags all over the Kunoichi's body.

Sakura smirked and threw another kunai to ignite them.

The people in the front row of the stands had to shield their faces as an enormous explosion tore through the arena engulfing Kin in flames. When the fire had died down, the Sound Nin lay face down in the dirt unmoving.

"Winner, Sakura Haruno!" shouted Genma brushing off some singed cloth on his arm.

Up in the stands Inara gulped nervously, "Well I guess that means we're next and we have to fight _them_." She shot a glance at the sand siblings.

"You scared Inara?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah a little."

"Relax Inara, you'll be fine," Sasuke reassured her, "Remember you may be disappointed if you lose, but your doomed to if you never try."

The silver haired Kunoichi nodded, he was right, she had to give it all she was worth if she ever hoped to avenge her clan.

**"You've matured hatchling, I'm proud of you." **Said Kasaki.

_Thanks, I might need some of your chakra for my battle. The plans I've been working out should be flashy and painful. _

The dragon chuckled, **"Why am I not surprised? Alright little one, just don't overdo it like last time." **

Sakura returned to her teammates, who congratulated her on her victory.

"We will now begin the next set of matches, Kankuro versus Naruto Uzumaki." Yelled the exam proctor.

The crowed groaned and jeered as Naruto made his appearance in the arena.

"Nice to have supporting fans isn't it?" mocked Kankuro setting the object from his back on the ground.

"Oh yeah, what do ya say about giving them a good show?" said Naruto with a hint on laughter in his voice.

The older genin glared, "Fine, I'll break everything but your neck."

"You'll have to catch me first!"

Genma held his arm in the air waiting for the two genin to shut up so he could start the match.

"**Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!**" _(Shadow Clone Jutsu) _

"Hey I didn't start the- oh well who cares anymore?" sighed the Jonin.

"Ha! You're dumber than I thought if you think you can fool me with that parlor trick." Snapped Kankuro, "Well punk, this is your lucky day, how'd you like to meet a friend of mine? Go, Crow!"

The object on the boy's back unwrapped the bandages that bound it there. Shaggy brown hair covered what appeared to be a head with three eyes and a wide mouth with sharp teeth. The object creaked and groaned as its six limbs moved underneath a ragged cloak.

"What the hell is that thing?" asked one of the shadow clones.

The sand Nin smirked, "This is Crow. He's my right hand man, mainly because he does everything I tell him to." His fingers twitched making the freakish object lunge at two of the shadow clones.

"You're going to need more than a puppet to beat me!" shouted the real Naruto slashing at Crow with a kunai.

"Ah, ah, ah, sorry kid, but kunai don't cut chakra strings. Now try this on for size." Five kunai shot from Crow's mouth taking out all Naruto's shadow clones.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

Kankuro glared at the blonde, "You know kid; the definition for insanity is trying the same thing over and over yet expecting different results."

"Guess I'm clinically insane then, **Uzumaki Naruto Rendan**!" (_Uzumaki Naruto Combo_) Three clones kicked Kankuro into the air while the real one smashed him back into the dirt.

The blonde landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet.

The sand Nin's fingers moved propelling Crow forward. The puppet threw a dark purple ball that landed at Naruto's feet and exploded.

"P-Poison gas?!" Naruto coughed as the tainted air entered his lungs. He felt the strength leave his limbs, breathing became difficult.

Kankuro was on his feet laughing, "Feeling a little light headed? Don't worry it'll all be over soon, just take nice deep breaths."

Naruto hit his knees and landed face first in the dirt, _No…I…can't lose…I'm gonna be…Hokage someday. Gotta find…a way…to…win. _The blonde searched his brain, looking for anything that would help him defeat his opponent without killing him in the process. He thought back to the Forest of Death when his squad had been attacked by the sound ninja. They had been training when a senbon needle had suddenly been buried into Inara's arm…the needle had been poisoned…and Inara had used Kasaki to heal it!

_Eureka! Okay stupid fox, if you wanna continue living, you might wanna take care of the poison…like now! _Naruto could have sworn he heard a low growl before he felt his energy returning to him.

**"Don't expect me to do whatever you wish. I only did it because if you die, I die." **

The blonde shook his head as he stood up; Kyuubi had just spoken to him. Was this what Inara felt like when Kasaki spoke to her? It felt weird to have a voice that wasn't yours in your head.

Kankuro stared in disbelief, "Looks like I underestimated you runt. I won't make that mistake again."

"Sorry but your not going to get another chance!" Red chakra formed around the kunai Naruto was holding.

_Amazing, I can call it at will now. Okay let's finish this! _

"Red chakra? What are you some kind of freak?" jeered the older genin, "Funky chakra or not you don't stand a chance against me when I got Crow."

Naruto smirked, "Fine then it looks like I'll just have to get rid of him!" the blonde sprinted forward and slashed up with the kunai, cutting the chakra strings.

The puppet fell useless to the ground.

"What?! That's not fair! You shouldn't be able to do that!" Kankuro complained.

The Uzumaki cracked his knuckles, "You know what else isn't fair? Your village destroying the life of my friend! **Uzumaki Naruto Nisen Rendan!**" (_Uzumaki Naruto Two Thousand Combo_)

Jaws dropped as 2000 Naruto's beat the living daylights out of their target. When finished Kankuro lay unconscious in the middle of the arena.

Genma blinked and gulped, _note to self don't make the demon brat angry. _"W-Winner, Naruto Uzumaki."

All the Konoha genin cheered and whistled as Naruto basked in his victory.

"Unbelievable Naruto! That was the best fight today!" Inara exclaimed patting her teammate on the back.

"Great job baka." Said Sasuke giving the blonde a noogie.

"Ow, ow, ow okay let go Sasuke!

**With the Kages…**

Sarutobi smiled, _Naruto you've grown so much. You'll make a great Hokage one day. _

Orochimaru glared at the orange clad ninja. _Damn that little Kyuubi brat! When I become Hokage, he'll be the first to die. _He looked at the position of the sun. It beat down warm rays lazily.

_Not much longer now, heh heh heh the fools, their less then an hour away from complete annihilation and they don't even know it. _The Sanin gazed off towards the forest; _my pawns should be ready right about now. _

**Back in the Arena…**

Genma chewed on a senbon needle restlessly, "This is taking forever" he said to himself, "Next match, Temari versus Inara Ayanomi!"

The silver haired kunoichi gulped in the observation deck.

"Don't worry Inara, it's not all they make it up to be." Reassured Naruto.

"Sasuke I just want you to know…if anything happens to me..."

The Uchiha brought his fist down on the top of the yellow eyed girl's head, "Don't talk like that…you'll jinx yourself."

The Ayanomi nodded and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "Okay…I think I'm ready."

"Good!"

Inara felt herself fall off the observation deck and into the arena below. She back flipped, landing on her feet before she hit the ground. She turned a burning glare at her orange teammate who had shoved her off.

_Naruto, you are sooo dead with I'm done with this. _

A gust of wind blew dirt and grit into Inara's eyes forcing her to close them. When the wind had stopped Temari was standing on the far side of the arena, her fan sheathed in the ground.

"Well, if it isn't the Ayanomi orphan." The blonde smirked.

Inara ground her teeth together, "So you knew?"

Temari scratched the back of her head, "Oh yeah, I was ten we it happened so I remember everything."

The white haired genin was fighting hard to suppress the demonic chakra that wanted to burst forth and tear the girl in front of her to shreds, "Tell me, why did you do it?"

The Sand sibling yawned, "Why should I? What's in the past is history, no use in digging it up."

"_Tell me_ _or I'll kill you!" _Inara hissed.

"I'd like to see you try. Lord Kazekage will have a huge reward for me when he hears that I finished the job. **Futon: Tatsu no Oshigoto!** (_Wind Release:_ _Severing Pressure_) A large twister descended rapidly from the sky, trapping Inara within it. Dirt, rocks and other debris slashed away at her body, shredding her clothing to nothing more than ribbons.

The Kunoichi staggered on her feet when the tornado lifted away, steam rose from her wounds as they healed.

_**"You're going to wish you hadn't done that bitch!"**_ a demonic voice projected from the Konoha Nin's throat.

Up in the stands, Naruto and Sasuke gripped the railing with white knuckles.

_Inara don't do it! You can't reveal yourself here of all places! You don't want to end up like me do you? (Naruto)_

_What the hell is she thinking! That damn demon is more of a nuisance then help these days. (Sasuke)_

Electric blue eyes locked on their target, black chakra swirled around Inara's body. Nails became long black claws that could shred anything; teeth grew to be the size of small daggers. The Kunoichi doubled over in pain, the back of her shirt moving just under the shoulder blades. Blood spattered the ground, a huge pair of black dragon wings burst from the girl's back dripping with the red liquid.

A few people in the crowed screamed, but remained in their seats. Inara shot them a look warning them to stay where they were if they wanted to stay alive.

Temari stood frozen in place, "What the hell are you?!"

_**"I am the thing that keeps you awake at night. Hiding in the shadows of a dark ally, a noise when no one is there, I am the eyes that are always watching you and you'd never know it until it was too late. Some call me monster, others, demon. I call myself Inara Ayanomi from the Wasteland Village, the last of the Ayanomi line. And you…are about to become nothing more than a pile of bloody entrails!" **_Inara spread her black wings; the length was about twenty feet from tip to tip, and shot into the air. She hovered there for only a second before drawing Kunatzu from its sheath. The metal glinted in the sunlight. Inara roared like a beast and dived towards the ground similar to the way an eagle does to pluck a fish out of the water.

Temari braced herself for the attack. Cold metal sunk deep into the blonde Kunoichi's side, skin was torn away from bone, muscle was shredded; blood soaked the earth.

Inara landed in the top of a tree and licked the bloodied end of her sword, "Mmm…sweet revenge."

The sand Nin clutched her side to stop the blood flow, "Bitch! You're hiding behind those wings! Won't fight me face to face huh? Just hit and run you coward!"

The demon Kunoichi bared her teeth, "You know I was going to kill you quickly, but now I think I'll let you suffer, that way you can run that mouth of yours all you want when you beg for your life." She flew down from the tree.

"**Kamaitachi no Jutsu!**" (_Cutting Whirlwind Technique_) A blast of chakra inlayed air rushed towards the Ayanomi.

Inara smirked and flapped her wings, neutralizing the attack, "My clan got wiped out by weaklings like you? How pathetic, but it's my turn now. **Katon: Karyu Endan!**" (_Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile_) Inara exhaled, a large stream of flames burst from her mouth and sped towards the waiting Temari.

Using her fan, the blonde girl created a gust of wind and sent it flying into the fire, hoping to redirect it. The plan failed, not only did the flames stay on target but also grew in size thanks to Temari's attack. Blazing fire engulfed the girl, when they died the smell of burnt hair and cloths clung to the air. Temari was badly burned on her legs and arms where only fish netting protected them.

Inara raised an eyebrow, "You managed not to become a human torch I see. You're better than I thought." She flapped her wings in anger, sending sand and dust soaring towards the singed Kunoichi.

"**Kamaitachi no Jutsu!**" (_Cutting Whirlwind Technique_)

"A little repetive aren't we?" sneered the Ayanomi as the debris came flying back towards her. Drawing in a deep breath she felt and electrical current rising in her lungs. Blue tougnes of lightning heated the particals turning them to glass projectiles.

**"Hatchling you're an idiot, did you ever stop to think about sending those back?" **

The glass shards tore through delecate wing membrane, some imbedding themselves into soft arm and leg flesh. Blood ran from the injuries like small red rivers, staining the ground crimson.

"What did you say about me begging for my life?" mocked Temari.

An explosion of black chakra shot the lodged needles out of Inara's skin, the wounds they made healed instatly.

"My mistake…I thought giving you a handicap might even odds. But now I see that I would have to run myself through to level the playing field. **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**" An enormous orb of flame burst from the Konoha Nin's mouth setting the ground were Temari stood into a ring of fire.

The sand sibling blocked her face with her arms to protect herself from the intense heat. Breathing was becoming more difficult as the flames sucked up all the air. A streak of black flashed in front of Temari's eyes, then was gone. The Sand Nin squinted as it streaked by again. The flames bagan bending to the right as the thing flashed by again and again. Suddenly it jumped through the ring of fire, sword rasied high above her head.

Selfpreservation instice took over Temari's senses, "**Fusajin no Jutsu!**" (_Dust Wind Technique) _Dust and sand skittered across the ground making traction impossible. The blonde Kunoichi blocked the claymore that was aimed for her head and slid harmlessly out of the way thanks to the slick earth.

Inara kept falling; Kunatzu slid out from between her hands and hit the dirt. Pain shot through the Konoha Nin's right shoulder as the blade pierced it, running clean through down to the hilt. She lay there in shock when she felt Temari's fan rest on the back of her neck.

"Move one muscle and I cut your head off." She warned.

Inara glared, grinding her fangs together, "Bitch, without that fan…you're useless!" she felt 'said' object press even harder on her spine.

Temari smirked, "I wouldn't be one to talk. You seem awfully close to that sword of yours."

"_**I'll show you! I don't need Kunatzu to make you beg for death!**_"

"TIME! WINNER, TEMARI!" a shout from Genma ended the battle.

Temari removed the fan from Inara neck and returned to her siblings.

The white haired girl got to her feet, the claymore still lodged in her shoulder. With a sharp tug she ripped it out sending blood everywhere. She rolled it back; new pink skin held it shut. Spreading her black wings she took to the sky and returned to her teammates.

AN: Well here it's October and I posted the last chapter in SEPTEMER! God I'm lazy, this took forever mainly because I couldn't think of some battle scenarios. Now let's see what has happened in the last month that I should tell you about? (Thinking) Oh I know! I have a really pretty horse named Spirit; well anyway she hurt herself last week. I don't know how but she did. A four inch long gash about half an inch deep on her back left leg had to be stitched up. So I went to change the bandages today and found that all the stitches came out AND the wound is infected! I really don't know how that happened either because I was giving her antibiotics all fricken week! So now it's going to take the cut about four times longer to heal than it was in the first place! (Bangs head on wall) Okay I'm good PLEASE REVIEW you people have really been slacking off on that lately. I've done my job now it's your turn to take a minute of your busy schedule and do yours. (I apologize if that sounded mean…I meant it to be funny.)


	21. Sand Betrayal

AN: Sasuke is leaving the village in the anime, NNNNOOOO! I am going to cry! I really didn't want this to happen. I knew that it was, but I still didn't want it to. I'm gonna miss him sssooo much! Well moping over, but...NO I WILL NOT CRY AGAIN!

Disclaimer: NO! (DAMN YOU LAWYERS FROM HELL, no offence Angel of the Godless) I curse the very name of copyright…bitch…(don't ask)

**Sand Betrayal **

Pink skin sealed the wound in the silver haired Kunoichi's side where her sword had been. Inara spread her demonic wings and took to the sky. Her body eclipsed the afternoon sunlight before folding the appendages and gliding into the observation deck.

The Ayanomi arched her back, the wings followed suit. The sound of cracking bones cut through the air, the wings slowly folding back on themselves into her skin. Her flesh turned from black to grey to a healthy pink once more. Angry red marks left behind, blood trickling down until dark scars were only left. The Kunoichi cracked her shoulders back into place.

"Nice work! A little on the hot side but still nice." Said Sasuke bopping her on the head with his fist playfully.

She shoved him away, "Go jack off," she hissed, "In the real world, losing means your dead and guess what I've just crossed the river of Styx."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Naruto grasped his teammate's shirt and hoisted her in the air, "Just because you lose doesn't mean you have to be a bitch about it!"

Inara dug her nails into the blondes hand, drawing blood; her free hand struck him across the face leaving red slashes where her nails had cut him.

Hinata gasped, her hand flew to her mouth, "Inara, Naruto, stop!"

Naruto dropped his quarry; his hand wiped away the blood.

Inara glared at him through narrow eyes, "If you ever touch me again…I'll kill you. Consider yourself warned Uzumaki." She turned on her heel and stormed off towards the stairwell that led to the arena entrance and stands.

"Wow, bitchy much?"

"Shikamaru! That's not nice! Inara's had it rough, being an orphan and all." Scolded Ino.

Naruto and Sasuke snorted, like they had had an easy time of it.

Genma cleared his throat, "It's now time for the final match, Sasuke Uchiha against Gaara. Please make your way to the arena now so we can end this."

Sasuke vanished in a whirlwind of leaves, Gaara took the stairs.

**Second Staircase…**

A fist crushed the concrete wall, knuckle bones cracked. Loud cursing echoed throughout the halls as the injury healed. Inara sat on the steps clutching her knees, tears staining her cheeks and pants legs. Losing was painful, that was to be expected, but to lose to someone who had wronged her so severely in the past? Sorrow and anger tore away at the young girl's heart. Sadness for the pain she had caused her friends in her blind rage. Anger was felt against herself for fighting foolishly, blindly. Hatred, towards Temari and the Sand Village for making a fool of her and her lineage.

"I-I'm sorry Mom, I soiled the family name…but worst of all…I failed you." She hid her face in her knees again, not even lifting her head to glance at the two men who strolled casually by her.

**With Gaara…**

The Sand Nin shook his head. The last battle had sent his blood lust skyrocketing.

"Hey kid!" Two Grass ninja approached the red haired boy, "Our boss has a lot of money riding on this match. So don't screw it up for Uchiha got it? He's the favorite in this battle, so you're just gonna have to lose okay? Or do you need a little persuasion?" said the white haired man.

Sand poured out of the large gourd on Gaara's back; a psychotic look spread across his face.

"So, what do you say GGGAAAHHH!" the Grass Nin's eyes popped out of his skull, bones broke, blood burst from his mouth, dripping on to the floor.

**Second Stairwell…**

Inara felt something warm and wet drip into her hair. She raised a hand to wipe it away when the smell of iron flooded her senses.

_Blood? But who would be stupid enough to…_

Her train of thought was cut off when more screams of agony reached her ears. Curious, Inara rose to her feet and ascended the stairs.

Two corpses lay on the floor in a growing pool of blood. A wave of blood lust sent shivers up the Kunoichi's spine as Gaara walked slowly by her down the stairs to the arena and the waiting Uchiha.

Inara remained frozen in place, her limbs shaking from his hatred, _S-so familiar, yet I remained still. Could he be so blood thirsty that he'd kill anything that moves? And that hatred, almost identical to mine and Sasuke's, but for a different reason. It was…the hatred of everything living, which means...SASUKE! _

**With Kakashi in the Stands…**

"Well Sasuke, let's see how strong you've gotten." Kakashi whispered to himself, "I don't like the looks of that Gaara kid. A strange one, he is."

"KAKASHI SENSEI!"

"What the, GAH!" the Jonin was sent tumbling as his white haired student crashed into him, knocking him to the floor, "Inara what the hell is going on?!" he asked picking himself up out of the dust.

"It's Sasuke! You can't let him fight!" the girl pleaded.

"You're talking nonsense Inara. If it's the curse mark you're worried about, don't Sasuke has it under control."

Inara shook her head, "It's not that…he'll kill us…he'll kill us all. He's not like me and Naruto! He's a cold-blooded murderer that laughs at the sight of pain and suffering!"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy Inara," the Jonin grabbed the girl by the shoulders to calm her, "Who's going to kill us?"

Inara wiped away a tear that was streaming down her face, "G-Gaara, he's a monster Kakashi sensei. He just killed two Grass ninja without blinking!"

The former ANBU sighed, "Look Inara, don't worry about it. Sasuke will be fine; Genma will step in before anyone gets killed."

"But Sensei…"

"No buts, I don't want to hear another word about it. Just sit back and watch what the last of the Uchiha clan can do." He released his hold on the girl and directed her to an empty seat.

**In the Arena…**

"Finally we can finish this" said Genma, "Begin!"

Sand began pouring out of the gourd on Gaara's back, a stabbing pain made the sand Nin clutch his head, "Please mother…don't be mad at me. The blood I give you this time…will be sweet."

Sasuke took a few steps back to avoid the sand from gathering around his feet, _His mother? We're in the middle of a battle, why would he be talking to her? But more importantly…we're the only ones here. So how can he hold a conversation with someone who isn't within the proximity? _

Kankuro watched his little brother, "Hm, the conversation started already? That was fast."

"That's how much Gaara wanted to fight the Uchiha; he wanted to see how strong he really was." Said Temari, "I don't think he's ever been this fired up for a match before. That Uchiha better watch his back."

Sasuke drew a handful of shuriken and threw them towards Gaara.

The sand acted on its own accord and shielded its master. A hand formed, then an arm, finally a whole body.

_A sand clone? _The Uchiha dashed towards Gaara. The clone threw the weapons it had in its hand.

Sasuke leapt in the air and deflected them with more of his own. A hand blocked Sasuke's foot when he lashed out. Using his hands to thrust himself in the air again, the Uchiha punched the clone in the throat.

The sand enveloped his hand making it difficult to remove, _Damn it, let go!_ His foot pushed the clone off his arm, his free hand swung in towards Gaara's expressionless face.

A solid wall of sand blocked the attack,_ heh, just what I'd thought you'd do, _"Hey psycho, behind you!" Gaara was sent flying when Sasuke's fist slammed into his face causing it to crack and fall off.

The Uchiha inhaled sharply, "What the hell? What is that?"

Gaara rose to his feet clutching the injury while laughing manically, "That…Sasuke Uchiha…is my sand armor. You're the first to crack it, but enjoy your small victory while you can still breathe!"

"Yeah yeah, all bark and no bite, you waste more charka on defense than you do on offence. Come on, if you want to end me... you'll have to hit me."

Gaara remained in place, glaring at the black haired genin.

"No? Fine, I'll come to you! **Shunshin no Jutsu!**" (_Body Flicker Technique)_

Gaara met the concrete wall when Sasuke sent him soaring with a perfectly aimed side kick.

"Like I said, all defense and no offence. In that case, I'll rip that armor off your body and beat you within an inch of your life." Hissed the Uchiha heir. Rapid punches and kicks cracked the sand Nin's armor further, making bits of it fall to the earth.

"Why doesn't he do something?" complained Temari, "He's becoming that bastard's personal punching bag!"

Kankuro folded his arms across his chest, "Sand armor takes up way too much chakra. He'll change his battle plan when he's ready. I'm just hoping he doesn't call that _thing_ too soon in the game."

**With Kakashi and Inara…**

"Well looks like that water training I put you three through worked exceptionally well." Commented the Jonin.

"You're students grown impressive Kakashi."

The Hateke turned in the direction of the voice, "Thank you Guy, yours put on an impressive show as well."

The green clad Jonin sat down next to his rival, "That must have been some training program you put them on. To increase their speed that much in less than a month? What did you do?"

"Can't say, it's a secret."

Guy laughed, "Alrighty then Kakashi, lets make this a little more interesting. Whoever has the most students become Chunin wins, what do you say?"

The former ANBU sighed, "If that's what you want."

**Back In the Arena…**

"**Tama no Suna!**" (_Sphere of Sand_) Sand on the ground and in the gourd began moving towards Gaara, forming a large protective orb around him.

"A shield won't do you any good! I'll just break through it!" Sasuke sprinted in Gaara's direction. He lashed out with his left hand to pierce the sand orb when spikes halted his progress, many of them aimed for his vitals. Blood dripped off his fist onto the ground.

_Impossible! How'd he create something so solid so quickly? _He reached out slowly and touched one of the spikes before it receded back into the ball of dirt.

_It's density…__ of course. This complicates things a bit. _Sasuke felt someone watching him. He looked around quickly and spotted a floating eye.

_Hm, watching me are you? Good, I'll show you what true power really is. _The Uchiha smirked and made a rude gesture at Gaara's sand eye before turning and dashing up the side of the arena wall using chakra.

_There's only one Jutsu I know that will be strong enough to destroy that thing._ He flashed through the correct hand signs. Blue chakra began forming around his hand, so powerful that it could be seen by the unaided eye.

**In the Stands…**

"So that's why you increased his speed eh Kakashi? You wanted the Uchiha to learn **Chidori **_(One Thousand Birds) _or should I say **Raikiri**?" asked Guy nudging his friend in the ribs with an elbow.

Inara raised an eyebrow, "Lightning Edge? Why call it that? I understand the bird's part because of the noise it makes but why lightning edge?"

Guy laughed, "You don't know? Kakashi I can't believe you didn't even tell your own students! Well young one, they call it Lightning Blade because your sensei Kakashi here used it once to cut lighting in half before in touched the ground."

The Kunoichi snorted, "Yeah…okay…Guy sensei did you remember to take your medication today?"

The Jonin waved her off, "That's beside the point and the point is the Uchiha must be pretty special to learn the only Jutsu that Kakashi himself didn't have to copy using the Sharingan."

"Alright that's enough! Honestly Guy, you should feel ashamed of yourself. Filling a genin's head with heroic images of her teacher, I mean honestly! Get a hold of yourself." Said an in a mock annoyied voice, "Inara I want you to know, I didn't teach Sasuke _Chidori_ because I favor him over you and Naruto. I taught it to him because he's a lot like me. If you want I can teach it to you both as well. It will be more difficult because you don't have the Sharingan but I think we can work around that."

**With Sasuke…**

_That should be about enough, _Sasuke thought to himself, _Okay, ready…aim…_black eyes changed to crimson, two tomas surrounded the pupil as the Uchiha activated his bloodline trait, _fire! _

A trench was dug into the wall as Sasuke ran down it; the charka pressure caused a small explosion of dirt when it reached the ground. The genin emerged from the middle of it, running at top speed. The hand wielding the Jutsu trailing just behind his body as a loud chirping noise like that of thousands of birds filled the air.

**\With Gaara…**

_Heh heh heh, I'm gonna tear his head off, that way he'll bleed everywhere and I'll give it all to you mother…I promise_. Gaara formed the hand signs necessary for the jutsu to be performed. Something splashed on to Gaara's hand, "What? AAAHHH BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING!"

Outside the sand orb Sasuke smirked, "Gotchya." He tried to pull his arm free, but it was held fast, "Urg…Let…me…GO!" Another burst of chakra loosened the sand away from the Uchiha's fist. A cracked appendage followed it, struck the ground and slowly receded back into the sand orb.

_Was that a hand? _Sasuke moved his fingers, making sure they still worked, _Good, not broken. But what the hell was that thi…_ Movement from inside the sand ball caught his attention. A shudder of fear raced up the Uchiha's spine when a golden eye glared at him through the hole that the _Chidori_ had made.

The ball began to crack falling to bits on the earth, revealing Gaara, his injury bleeding heavily from the shoulder.

"So he was injured!" shouted an alarmed Temari, "This is bad, the shell was destroyed before he could transform! Not to mention that he's completely forgotten the plan!"

Kankuro remained silent, _that thing, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. Gaara better get his act together if we're going to succeed. _

**With the Kages…**

The Kazekage smiled to himself, _the time has come my pawns, operation destroy Konoha has begun! _

A loud explosion made heads turn. The crowed screamed and ran as three large snakes began running amok in the village.

The Sand leader took advantage of the confusion to get close to the Hokage.

Sarutobi felt cold steel rest on his throat, "Do it." Said the voice of the person holding him hostage. Four Konoha Jonin dropped their disguises, one with four arms, one with white hair and an extra underdevolped head, one with a flute and one large, mostly bald one. Each Nin took a corner on the roof where the Kazekage had brought his prisoner.

"Not so fast!" shouted an ANBU shrouded in white, two cloaked in black were at his side, "Release Lord Hokage and your trials will be a fair one!"

The red haired girl with the flute smirked, "As if, **Shishienjin**" _(Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment) _A purple barrier shot up out of the shingles of the roof, inside it another barrier ensured that nothing would be coming out.

One of the black cloaked Nin growled and charged the wall regardless of the warning from the others. His skin came in contact with the barrier and instantly burst into flame. Sound ninja took care of the other two with well placed kunai to the throat.

"Looks like the Chunin exams are over for now eh Sarutobi sensei? From here on out…Konoha will cease to exist."

The Hokage glared at the roof, "Is there no room for talk Orochimaru? Can't we settle this humanly?"

"I'm afraid not, I'm tired of talking, after awhile it gets very boring. So I'm here to stir things up a bit."

**Back in the Arena…**

Baki, Temari, and Kankuro rushed to Gaara's side, who was apparently suffering from another bad headache.

Temari knelt down and looked into her little brothers teal eyes, "He's suffering a reaction; he can't do this anymore!"

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do? We can't do this without him!" Kankuro shouted.

Baki sighed, "I'm calling it off. This mission is no longer important. You two retreat and take care of him. I'll stay and help fight."

"Yes sir!" Kankuro hoisted Gaara on his back, then he and Temari leaped over the arena wall, headed for the Konoha forest.

Sasuke slammed his fists into the ground as he watched them go.

"And as for you Sasuke Uchiha…well I think Lord Orochimaru will give me a hefty reward if I bring your body to him." Baki advanced on the genin as he scrambled backwards to stay out of the Jonin's grasp.

"And what makes you think we'll hand him over so easily?" asked Genma as he stepped between Sasuke and the foreign Nin forcing him to stop.

"Will somebody explain what the hell's going on?" demanded the Uchiha.

"Sorry Sasuke, but the exams are over. But I got a mission for you…go catch Gaara and the others so you can finish your match."

The black haired genin nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"No!"

"Where do you think you're going Baki? Your fight is here with me." The Konoha Jonin spat out the senbon needle.

**West City Limits…**

Two ninja sat observing the scenery.

"So Ibiki, who is this Orochimaru guy anyway? Why do we have to be on the look out for him?"

Ibiki joined his partner on the wall, "He _was_ a student of the Hokage. But when they were taking names for the Fourth, he submitted his own and wasn't chosen. After that he left the village without a trace. He's probably hated Lord Hokage ever since and will do anything to see that Konoha is destroyed. But then again it's just a theory."

A cloud of smoke alerted the shinobi of a visitor.

"Ibiki, there's trouble on the east city gate."

"Status report."

"Giant snakes have appeared with about a hundred sand shinobi behind them!"

Ibiki nodded, "Alright I want all the patrols out there pronto! And vacate that area while you're at it. Don't forget to alert the east gate sentry!"

"Yes sir!" the Nin left to perform his tasks.

_Well looks like the party's started. _Thought the scarred man.

**With Kakashi, Inara, and Guy…**

"Well this is quite a predicament. Inara, last minute mission."

"And that would be?"

"Take out as many of these Sound ninja as possible with out getting killed, ready? GO!" Smiled the white haired Jonin.

"With pleasure sensei." Inara drew her sword and began hacking through foreign nin flesh.

_Oh, maybe I should have told her this was an A ranked mission…nah, she'll be just fine. That which does no kill her will only make her stronger. _

Asuma finished killing off one of his opponents, _damn it! There's too many of them! _Forming a hand sign he appeared in front of the genin who were busy staying out of the way.

"Okay guys change of plans; you all have one of two options. One, stay here and fight the Sand and Sound ninja or you protect the nobles as they evacuate the city."

Naruto and Hinata were the only two who opted to stay and fight, the rest took to the trees to watch over the royalty and other important political persons as they stampeded out the stadium gates.

Guy sent a Sound ninja through a wall with a powerful kick, "As if this couldn't get any worse."

"Oh it can," said Kakashi as he blocked a kunai that was aimed for his head, "Take a look at the roof of the main viewing tower."

"A ninjutsu barrier?"

"And who's inside it?"

Guy squinted to get a better look, "Lord Hokage and…OROCHIMARU?! Forget this, we have to go help Lord Hokage!"

Kakashi kicked a body to the side, "Guy relax will ya? You should know by now that he doesn't take things lying down, besides, he isn't the Hokage for nothing."

**With Hokage and Orochimaru…**

The kunai at Sarutobi's throat hadn't moved an inch, "So what do you plan to do Orochimaru? Surely killing me isn't what you had in mind?"

A smirk spread across the Sanin's face, "On the contrary," the blade quivered, warm blood hit the Hokage in the face, "Whew that was close, almost fell asleep there." Said the black haired man yawning while the kunai stuck in his hand, "I'm here for two reasons Sarutobi sensei, one of which you already know. The other," White skin peeled away revealing the smooth face of a smiling young girl.

The elderly man's senses remained frozen, "So, you've mastered even that forbidden Jutsu? How dare you! Stealing the bodies of others so you yourself can remain young. It's repulsive!"

Orochimaru glared at his former teacher, "You know what old man I've had just about enough of your rambling. Repulsive or not I'm stronger then you now. Konoha will fall to its knee's, but not before its leader watches the death of its citizens as he himself dies by my hand. The second reason I returned was to retrieve a new body that's just about ripe for the picking. I should really thank you, Konoha has trained him well. Even after losing his entire family to his older brother, he has excelled quite nicely and will make the perfect replacement for this pathetic excuse for a human life form. **Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei**" (Summoning Impure World Resurrection)

Sarutobi stumbled backwards, "No, you can't…The passed are to remain at rest! Not to become your puppets! I won't let you do this! **Katon: Karyū Endan**" (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)

"**Fūton: Daitoppa**!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) The flames were sent back, scorching everything they touched. The Hokage's robes caught fire.

Not wanting to become a living piece of BBQ, Sarutobi quickly shed the traditional garment. Underneath, battle armor covered the elderly man's body. It could have easily passed as old ANBU gear, but it would serve the same purpose.

By now two wooden coffins had broken thought the roof tiles; a third casket was on its way.

_I can't let that last coffin rise, gotta stop it…but how? _His fingers brushed against a set of kunai, the cold steel gave him an idea.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock as a barrage of kunai and shuriken embedded themselves into the other to caskets, preventing the third from fully emerging.

_Gggrrr, fine…I don't need the last one to finish him out, these two will be enough. _Thought the Sanin, "Careful now Sarutobi sensei, wouldn't want to hurt one of your new playmates now would you? Come on out you two, I have a new friend I want you to meet."

The coffin doors fell to the shingles of the roof. Sarutobi was speechless as the two figures stepped out of their resting places.

"It's been awhile hasn't it Sarutobi?" said the blue clad one.

"Yes awhile indeed. Look he's grown old and frail." Said the other red dressed one.

_Damn, just my luck. Why'd he have to summon those two? _Thought the Hokage, _the First and Second Hokages, the very founders of the village that I now strive to protect. This isn't going to end well. _

AN: Okay this chapter is done for a totally of twenty-one chapters. I have bad news…I won't be updating for about a month or so because I'll be working on another project. Next update will be sometime in December, I know I don't like it either but I have to. But I promise that the next chapter will be really really really good, cross my heart and hope to die. (Not literally)


	22. Triumph and Defeat

AN: Holy cow! It's been three whole months since I worked on this story! sniff sniff I miss these characters so much! Anyway enough with the crying, I hope you all had a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, mine were kinda boring Oh and if you didn't know I gave you all a gift in the form of another sort story called 'Operation X-mas' if you hadn't read it please check it out and review, it has all you favorite characters from Another Demon in it.

Disclaimer: Lawyer: do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?

Me: Yes.

Lawyer: Do you own the Naruto series, characters or any of the original plot line?

Me: No, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Triumph and Defeat **

Sasuke leapt from tree limb to tree limb. He came to a sudden halt, Temari barred his path.

"If you want to get to Gaara you're going to have to go through me first." The blonde kunoichi unfurled her fan. _I can only stall him for a short while Kankuro, so you'd better hurry. _

"I don't have time to fight you," said Sasuke glancing past Temari, she stepped aside to block his view.

"If you refuse to back down, I guess I have no choice. **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu **_(Fire Release: Fireball Technique)_

An orange ball of flame sped towards Temari. She smirked, "How stupid does he think I am?" she swept the fan across the air sending the flames back at the Uchiha. The smoke cleared and the smile disappeared from her face, _where the hell did he go?! _

Nin wire wrapped around the kunoichi's body and snapped her arms to her sides, "What the?!"

"**Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!**" _(Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)_

Fire raced down the wire that was wound around Sasuke's wrists and scorched Temari's skin and clothes. The wire snapped unable to withstand the heat. She landed on the ground with a hard thud. When she opened her eyes five fire balls were hurling straight for her. The kunoichi threw up her arms to shield her face from the fiery attack.

Waves of heat passed by her body and were suddenly extinguished as they pelted the ground.

Temari slowly peeked out from behind her limbs, Sasuke was gone.

"Damn it! He's a clever little bastard! It's your turn now Kankuro, good luck."

Staggering to her feet, she collected her fan and started to follow the Uchiha's path.

**With Kankuro and Gaara…**

Kankuro kept running, Gaara rested motionless on his back, recovering from his headache that had rendered him unconscious.

The red head stirred and growled.

Kankuro stopped and set him on his feet, "Gaara are you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" he rasped, shoving his older brother to the side before leaping to the next tree limb.

"Gaara wait!" A kunai halted the Sand Nin's progress.

"Going somewhere?" Sasuke asked.

Kankuro glared at the Uchiha, _He got past Temari that quickly?! Looks like I'll have to stall as well. _He slung the Crow on to the ground; the wrappings fell off to reveal the puppet.

_A wooden puppet…what does he take me for? _Sasuke flashed through some hand signs and was about to exhale a ball of flame when Shino appeared at his side. He canceled the Jutsu and glanced from the Aburame to Kankuro, who still hadn't moved.

"What the hell are you doing here Shino?" asked the Uchiha.

"I thought I'd come and give you a hand. It's a good thing I did, looks like you've found some trouble."

Kankuro glared at them, "Two against one huh? Fine, I'll take you both out!"

Shino shoved Sasuke roughly to the side, "Go, you have a match to finish. I'll take care of things here and catch up with you when I'm finished."

The black haired genin nodded, "But how will you find me?"

The Aburame pointed at Sasuke's body, "Before your match started I placed one of my bugs on you…a female bug. I have its mate and he can smell her within a ten mile radius. As long as she stays with you, I can catch up." A black swarm of the kekki insects swarmed around Shino's fists, "Go now! While I create a distraction."

**With Orochimaru and the Hokages…**

Sarutobi stumbled backwards in shock, _no why'd he have to summon those two?!_

Two men stood in front of him awaiting orders from their summoner.

_The First and Second Hokages! _

The first Hokage wore dark red armor, his black hair tied neatly behind his head similar to Neji's, "Sarutobi is that really you?"

The Second Hokage smirked his white hair spiked above his headband, "You've grown old."

The Third sighed, "Yes it has been awhile since your passings Shodaime the First and Nidame the Second."

Nidame glanced behind him, "So he's the one who summoned us huh? I guess that mean we have to fight him Shodaime."

The black haired Kage nodded, "So it would seem."

_Orochimaru…you've gone too far with this Jutsu! I'll show you that nothing good can come from messing with those who should remain at rest. _

**With Naruto, Hinata and Inara…**

The blonde sent a sound ninja through the wall with a well aimed punch.

Hinata watched as enemy after enemy fell to her Gentle Fist Technique.

Inara ignored them both and hacked through the ranks with Kunatzu, "Naruto, heads up!" she hollered when a foreign Nin had escaped decapitation.

"Got 'im!"

The sound Ninja gasped like a fish out of water when the blonde's foot connected with his stomach and sent him flying straight into the sharpened end of the Ayanomi blade.

There was a pause in the action giving Inara enough time to kick the body off her weapon, "Naruto where's Sasuke?"

The Uzumaki shook his head, "No clue, I haven't seen him since that Gaara kid disappeared."

"Then I suggest you and Hinata go and find him," said Kakashi appearing seemingly out of nowhere making the genin jump, "Sasuke is hot on Gaara's trail as we speak but you'll need help locating him. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**_ (Summoning Jutsu) _Pakkun here will be able to catch his scent and track him."

The smoke cleared to reveal a small brown pug sporting a blue vest and Konoha headband, "Well come on, I'm not going to wait all day."

"I-It talks!" Hinata stammered.

"All summoning animals can talk girlie; it just depends on how well you humans listen."

Kakashi knelt down so he was eye to eye with the canine, "Pakkun I need you to track Sasuke."

"And here I thought you had a challenge for me Kakashi," said the dog, "Alright you two let's go!" In one leap the dog bounded out of the hole in the wall that Naruto had created a few minutes prior.

Inara moved to follow when Kakashi's hand on her shoulder made her stop.

"Inara I'm sure you'll be far more interested in what's going on up there." He pointed to the observation tower where the purple barrier shone brightly in the afternoon sun.

The kunoichi squinted to get a better look at the individuals that were inside, she gasped when she recognized her father, "What's he doing here!"

"I don't know but I suggest you go have a talk with him."

The Ayanomi nodded and dashed in the direction of the barrier.

A small group of sound ninja noticed the trio's retreat and quickly decided to follow Naruto and Hinata, after all, how much harm could one genin do to Lord Orochimaru...one of the legendary sanin.

**With the Kages…**

Orochimaru withdrew his hand from the Second's skull after placing a kunai and tag inside.

"There, now you two have no choice but to become my puppets." He smiled, "You really don't know what an honor this is Sarutobi sensei. To be able to defeat the one that taught you themselves…it's a crowning achievement."

The Third glared at his former student, "I should have killed you when I had the chance! **Kanton: Karyu Endan!**" (_Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile_) A stream of orange flame streamed from Sarutobi's mouth engulfing the two corpses.

Nidaime smirked "**Suiton Suiryudan**" (_Water Element: Water Dragon Missile_) the flames died when a large dragon made of water washed over them.

The burns on the Second and First healed instantaneously.

Orochimaru chucked slowly, "That's not going to work Sarutobi sensei. They're still dead, and you can't kill what isn't alive."

The Hokage flashed through some more hand signs and inhaled deeply, "**Doton: Doryuu Heki!**" (_Earth Element: Earth Slide Barrier) _Brow mud flowed from Sarutobi's open mouth at such an alarming rate the roof tiles were ripped from their stations and scattered throughout the violet prison.

The First clapped his hands together to form a sign, "**Mokuton Jyukai Koudan!**" (_Forrest Genisis) _

Sarutobi leaped backwards to dodge the tree trunks as they burst through the roof restricting movement even further.

_His signature Jutsu?! _A vine wrapped its way around the Thirds ankle and tripped him. Other vines followed suit and quickly bound his arms and legs together, hoisting him in the air.

"Seems you're all tied up eh Sensei?" smirked the Sanin, cracking his neck idly.

"Humph, hardly." Using the bark of the vines he made a small scratch in his skin just deep enough to draw blood, "**Ninpo, Kuchiyose!**" (_Summoning, Monkey King Enma) _

A large white primate dressed in tiger skin appeared in a cloud of smoke, "So it's him. You know that we would have to do this if you had just killed him in the past Sarutobi."

"Stop chattering of the past and just use the Kongounyo Enma."

The monkey king rolled his eyes, "As you wish, TRANSFORM!" The animals head, tail, arm and legs shrunk into its body giving him a pole like appearance. Enma clattered to the ground fully transformed into a black Bo staff.

_This is finally getting interesting, _Orochimaru thought as he started to heave. The Sanin was forced to his knees, gagging, when a large snake protruded from his mouth.

The reptile hissed once and coughed up a large claymore before retreating back into Orochimaru's throat.

Sarutobi winced; even in his current form the Kusanagi sword would be able to harm Enma.

The sanin grasped the hilt of the blade and returned to his feet, "There, now it's a fair fight." Orochimaru blocked the staff when it was thrust at his head, "Ha! You must be getting old sensei. You can't even touch me."

The Third landed on his feet, "Who said you were my target?"

There was a loud explosion the filled the air with smoke and debris. When it cleared the damage could be clearly seen.

Both the First and Second Hokages stood only on one leg as a result of the exploding tag that the Third had planted on them.

Orochimaru shook his head, "What do you take me for sensei? Did you honestly think that I would allow such a simple attack render my toys useless?" The sanin smiled at the corpses limbs regenerated, leaving them as they were when they first started the battle.

Shidime closed his fists together.

The trees in the area rushed towards Sarutobi in a wooden embrace.

"Enma, now!" Shouted the Third.

The wooden encampment squeezed tighter and tighter but was unable to break the protective cage that Enma had formed around his summoner.

The trees released their grip and the cage shrunk back into one staff.

"It's time for me to correct my mistake. Orochimaru today is the day you die!"

The sanin scowled, "You're really starting to piss me off old man. Let's see how much you like the taste of the Kusanagi." He charged past his puppets and arched the deadly weapon in for a strike.

**With Inara…**

The Ayanomi fought her way through packs of sound ninja in attempts to reach the look out tower. When she got there, the violet barrier still held firm. With a trembling hand she reached out to touch it.

**"Hatchling don't!" **Kasaki warned her.

_What? _

**"Don't touch that! It's a strong Jutsu that will instantly turn you into a human torch if contact is made!" **

Inara's arm fell to her side, a few inches more and she would have been history, _then how else am I supposed to get in?_

**"Let me take a look hatchling. I may be able to spot a weakness in its chakra structure." **

The kunoichi closed her eyes and steadied her breathing allowing the demon to gain control of her eyes.

She opened them again and gasped at the change in detail.

Everything was sharper now. She could see anything that moved, and the chakra levels were amazing.

Kasaki searched the barrier carefully, inspecting each corner, **"There! This barrier has no floor! You can get in though the ceiling!" **

_Only one problem, I DON'T HAVE WINGS! _Inara scolded her demon.

**"You can borrow mine, but be sure to give them back." **

The Ayanomi's shoulder blades began to itch; the itch became a burn then searing pain ripped through her back as the fore claws sliced neatly through her flesh.

The appendages forced their way through the openings and unfolded slowly, blood ran off in small rivers, dripping off the ivory fore claws.

When the pain became a dull throb, Inara gave them a small test flap. Her weight was slightly lifted off the ground. She gulped and took a deep breath; _I may need your help up there Kasaki. _

**"Of course hatchling, I'm here for you." **He reassured her.

_Well, here goes everything…_

The black wings beat strongly against the resisting air, propelling the Konoha genin into the air.

She raised her arms above her head to protect it from the crushing impact the ceiling was going to have.

**With the Hokage and Orochimaru…**

Wood and plaster was blasted away in every direction knocking Orochimaru away from Sarutobi.

The sanin hit the roof and rolled a few feet before skidding to a stop. He struggled to his feet wincing as a piece of wood was lodged firmly in his leg. With a rough jerk it was removed and tossed aside.

"Inara what are you doing here?!" gasped the Third his eyes wide from the shock of her sudden appearance.

"I'm protecting the village." She hissed through clenched teeth, golden eyes locked on her father, sword in hand.

Orochimaru smiled, "Ah, Inara that was quite the entrance. So you're here to help me after all."

The Ayanomi dug a trench in the roof with the claymore, "If by _help_ you mean _kill_ then yeah."

The smile disappeared from the sanin's face, "I see, they've corrupted you as well. My only child has been turned against me. I guess there's only one thing that can be done now."

Deep growls escaped from Inara's throat when her father took the Kusanagi in hand.

"Inara!" shouted the Hokage, "What do you think you're doing? He'll destroy you! I don't care if he is your father, as the Hokage of the village in which you live; I forbid that you fight him!"

"Shut up old man! I have a score to settle with that bastard!" she snapped.

The Third glared at the genin but then noticed the fire in her eyes, it reminded him strongly of her teammate Naruto, of Sasuke and all the other ninja in the village that were determined to save the only place they could call home. He then realized it would be no good arguing with the Kunoichi, not only would it be pointless but it could cost them one of their lives if Orochimaru decided to act. Sarutobi hated to admit it but he could use some help from the younger generations…but Inara was a little _too_ young.

"Hey, old man," A male voice projected from the Ayanomi's mouth, "You get the dead guys and I'll take care of Orochimaru." She winked a blue eye.

The Hokage nodded, who was he to argue with a demon?

**With Naruto and Hinata…**

The pair leaped from bough to bough as fast as they could in attempts to catch up with the Uchiha.

"Damn it how'd he get this far in such a short amount of time?!" said the blonde jumping into the air again.

Pakkun's nose twitched, "He went this way!" he said veering suddenly to the right.

Naruto and Hinata followed closely behind.

"Pick up the pace you two, we've got company," barked the ninja hound.

"How do you know?" asked the Hyuga.

"Trust me, they smell to high heaven."

"Pakkun, how far behind are they?" asked Naruto glancing behind him.

"It's difficult to tell, but I'd say now more than 500 feet."

The blonde cursed, that was really close. He stopped and turned to face the unseen enemy.

"N-Naruto, what are you doing?" Hinata stammered.

"Do you have a death wish kid? Get moving!" shouted the pug.

The Uzumaki clenched his fist, "No, no more running, I'm sick of it. Besides, they're going to catch up with us sooner or later, so we might as well fight while we still have the energy."

"H-he has a point Mr. Doggie," said Hinata.

"You're _both_ crazy! Kakashi will have my head if anything happens to you two, so I guess I'd better help."

Naruto smiled, "Thanks Pakkun."

The pug nodded and the three waited for the sound ninja to appear.

The Uzumaki closed his eyes and pushed a little chakra to his ears. The forest was silent, he didn't like that. Not even the birds were chirping.

The quiet 'tak, tak, tak' of sandals on wood reached his ears, he sighed and drew a kunai from its pouch.

Hinata took a fighting stance, Pakkun stood up and growled.

Shikamaru burst through the foliage startling everyone.

"S-Sh-Shikamauru! W-what are you doing here?" Hinata stammered after falling on her rear.

Naruto helped her up, "Yeah I thought you were escorting the nobles out of the village."

The Nara shrugged, "I got bored. When I saw you guys leave I thought I might as well follow."

Pakkun sniffed the air, "Heads up guys they're here."

"Naruto, Hinata you guys go! I'll take care of our guests by leading them on a fake trail; it'll buy you guys some time."

The blonde started to protest, "No way! There'll be too many of them for you to take on by yourself! I'm staying with you!"

"Like hell you are! You're the only one who will be able to help Sasuke if things go wrong! He's your teammate so it's your responsibility to help him."

"Yeah but-"

Hinata tugged on his jacket, "Come on Naruto, Shikamaru knows what he's doing. Weren't you paying attention during his match?"

The Uzumaki stared at his feet, "Just promise me that you'll catch up later."

Shikamaru smirked, "You got it,"

That was all the persuasion Naruto needed before he, Hinata and Pakkun disappeared into the distance.

The Nara scratched the back of his head, _now for that fake trail. _He took a sharp right, tearing his jacket on a branch.

Six sound Jonin picked up the cloth scrap, "They went this way!" shouted the leader.

_Stupid kids, they're begging us to find them. _

Shikamaru stopped at a gap in the trees, here was as good a place as any for a fight. Now all there was left to do was wait.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, large fluffy clouds past through the sky lazily. The Nara sighed, he envied those clouds, freely floating, free to do what ever they wanted, to just be lazy.

"Finally we found you!"

Shikamaru looked down, the Sound jonin had arrived.

"Well, that took you guys a lot longer than I expected. It was a real drag to lead you all the way here."

"What are you talking about?" said another Jonin.

The Nara smirked, "You honestly think we'd leave a trail as clear as the one you followed? We may be genin, but we're no stupid."

"THE TRAIL'S A FAKE!" shouted another. The group squatted to leap away.

"Ah ah ah, where do you think you're going? Your fight is here with me. **Kagemane no Jutsu**!" (_Shadow Imitation Jutsu)_

The Nara's shadow shot past him, tying the Jonin's shadows to his own. Shikamaru scratched his head idly; the sound Nin did the same by force. _Damn! I should have known this was going to happen! My last match with the sound chick used up too much of my chakra, I won't be able to hold this for long. _

The shadow quivered to prove his point, the jonin noticed, "Oh well now, looks like someone's getting tired already. I guess well just have to wait for awhile longer then."

Shikamaru counted the trapped Jonin carefully, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but something was wrong.

The shadow quivered again, it was quickly losing its strength.

_I better take them out while I can._ He drew a fistful of kunai and sent them hurtling towards their targets.

There was a loud clang and the Nara knew what he had missed, the group had split up at the last second, the other squad hidden in the trees.

_Shit! Well this isn't good and I don't have enough energy to trap them as well._

The shadow shook violently before releasing the foreign Nin, "Well that's better," said the leader, "Hey, you guys can come out now and take off his head while you're at it."

Shikamaru's insides froze when something large landed heavily behind him. Instinct told him to run, but fear held him to the spot.

"It's about time; I thought I'd never find you."

The Nara gasped, he knew that voice! He spun around quickly, "Asuma sensei?!"

The Konoha Jonin nodded, two sound Nin were tossed over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes. He spat his lit cigarette on to the ground, hurling the unconscious bodies at their comrades.

The group of four hit the ground, grunting in pain.

Asuma disappeared for a few seconds then returned to view, the knuckle blades were bloodied and the foreign Nin dead.

"Let's head back to the village and kick some more Sound ass."

Shikamaru glanced back towards Naruto and Hinata, but shook his head, they'd return to the village and he'd rendezvous with them when they got back with Sasuke.

**With Inara, the Third and Orochimaru…**

Fangs sunk into the Sanin's right arm.

Inara growled and bit down harder when her father tried to shake her off. Kasaki's animal instincts had taken over her normal/predictable fighting patterns.

A fist struck her in the face, dislodging her from her chunk of flesh. She hissed angrily, licking the blood off her elongated teeth.

The Hokage was busy keeping the living corpses at bay, he hated to admit it but he was beginning to tire and that last little performance by the Ayanomi was enough to scare the living daylights out of him.

Inara crouched down on all fours and sprang at her father, landing heavily on his chest.

Orochimaru used the Kusanagi sword to keep his raging daughter at bay.

The claymore cut deeply into her torso, but she didn't seem to notice as adrenaline was pumped through her veins at an intensifying rate.

His tongue shot out of his mouth and around the kunoichi's neck, a violent jerk whipped her back on to the roof shingles, dislodging them.

Inara was still for a few moments which allowed the Sanin to return to his feet. He hadn't expected the girl to come at him so strongly. Her strength had doubled once she called on the help of her demon. He smirked to himself; _demon or not I still hold the trump card. _He formed the hand sign that controlled Inara's seal and waited for the agonizing screams that would follow.

The kunoichi flinched but that was all. Orochimauru narrowed his eyes and intensified the jutsu.

Inara returned to her feet chuckling with Kasaki's voice, "Sorry daddy dearest, but that won't work anymore," she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, the curse marks had been sealed, taking away all control Orochimaru had over them.

_Damn you Kakashi! _

A look of insanity crossed over the Ayanomi's face, "**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**" (_Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) _

A ball of flame sped across the rooftop disintegrate everything in its path.

The Hokage paused a few moments in awe, how had an outsider master the Uchiha's signature Jutsu? It was then he remembered the two genin's betrothal. He smiled to himself, _of course, all Uchiha's need to know that Jutsu, I can see now why Sasuke taught it to her, outsider or not. _

Orochimaru flashed through some hand signs, "**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" (_Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) _

The ball of flames was split in two by the wind jutsu, picking up debris as it went turning it into something that looked similar to a tornado.

Inara smirked, her curse seals glowed a bright orange when she deflected the attack with a single sweeping motion of her hand.

**With Sasuke…**

_Inara glided on to the observation platform and sealed her wings away. A furious and disgusted look was etched into her features. _

_Sasuke for some unknown reason pitied her, he could easily image losing to the person he hated most in the world. It was difficult and painful and in the end he wanted nothing more than to fade from existence. He guessed this was how Inara was feeling now that her match was over; her victory which was so close at hand had been snatched away at the ringing of a timer. _

_He tried to comfort his teammate, "Hey," he wrapped an arm around her shoulder," you did a really good job, you would have won if the match was thirty seconds longer." _

_Inara shoved him away roughly just about knocking him over, "Go jack off," she hissed. _

_The Uchiha inhaled sharply, she had been upset with him before, but never to this extent. _

Sasuke shook his head to repress the memories, those had been the last words she had spoken to him before everything had gone to Hell, now he wasn't even sure if he'd ever see Inara again.

_Gah, don't think that! Concentrate Sasuke, concentrate on your mission, you don't have time for this. You can make up with her later once those Sand and Sound bastards have been terminated. _

Thoughts of long walks and dinner crossed his mind, followed by a possible movie and staying up into the wee hours of the morning just sitting around and chatting in the warm waters of a hot spring.

A tree limb brushed the top of his head, snapping him back to reality. If he didn't start paying attention the Uchiha was going to impale himself on a branch then it'd be bye-bye evening plans.

_Hm…it's too quiet, even the birds have stopped singing. That Garra kid must be close. _

Silently he kept running, it would be another half hour before he was force to come to a skidding halt unless he wanted to crash headlong into his quarry.

Gaara's face was deformed; a cruel smile sent chilly waves of fear down Sasuke's spine. One half of the face was human, but the other…It was difficult to determine what it was.

An ear like structure sprouted from the top of the Sand Nin's head flowing into a black eye with a yellow star pupil then on to a cruelly curved mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

The Uchiha gulped, he had seen that eye before in his match with Gaara a few hours previously, _what the hell is this guy?_

Thoughts of Naruto and Inara flashed through his brain, _he couldn't be a…or could he? How many demon containers are there?! _

"Sasuke Uchiha! So it seems that you have found me and from the horrified look on your face, you've discovered my little secret. Yes, I am the container for the one tailed Shukakau demon. Like you're friends however _I_ use my powers to destroy other so that _I_ may feel more alive! By killing you and ridding this world of your existence will fill me with strength."

Sasuke clenched his fists; _he's just like the other two. I'll show him that I can't be eliminated so easily!_

"What's the matter Uchiha? Do you fear me?" Gaara growled, his arm began to bubble in unnatural ways, the skin darkened to match the tone of his face. Sand claws molded over his fingers. The sand spread down to his feet, covering his sandal.

He lashed out with the sand paw, Sasuke jumped neatly to the side. The branch he had been standing on seconds before had been obliterated.

Sasuke flew through the usual hand signs; _I'm only going to have one shot at this so I'd better make it count,_** "Chidori!" **_(One Thousand Birds) _

Crimson eyes locked on their target, the Konoha genin sprinted forward and thrust his chakra laced fist out, spearing right through Gaara's sand armor.

The Sand Nin screamed in anguish then screams turned into insane laughter, "_**Ha now I know why I'm having so much fun! To destroy someone who can inflict this much pain on me, to rob him of his breath will make me feel more alive than ever before!" **_

Sasuke gulped nervously, _H-he's crazy! Truly insane! _

_"__**More, more, I want more! Give me MORE!" **_Gaara lashed out again with the deformed arm.

Sasuke felt rough sand brush against his shin when he leapt away; he had almost been too late. He landed upside down on a tree branch, _ok, no more playing around. If it hadn't been for the Sharingan I'd be dead by now. What's my next strongest attack besides Chidori? _He racked his brain quickly; he wasn't good under this kind of pressure. The battle was unfolding too quickly for his taste, but nothing could be done about it now, "**Gokakyu No Jutsu!**" _(Fire Style: Fireball Technique) _

Gaara blocked the attack with the transformed arm; the flames glanced off harmlessly, "_**Heh heh heh! Was that your best shot?! Die Uchiha!" **_The transformed arm shot forward again.

Sasuke had seen what the limb could do and had no intention of getting caught by it. Kakashi's warning flashed through his mind but was quickly pushed aside, "**Chi-"**

Gaara's sand fist slammed into his chest canceling the Jutsu. Sasuke coughed, blood ran down the edges of his mouth. His chest throbbed painfully, was it the effect of trying to force a Jutsu? He wasn't sure.

_**"You're eyes, they're the same as mine," **_Gaara growled, _**"The same hatred fills our eyes, but I can tell you this, my hatred is stronger. Yours is weak. The strength of your hatred is the strength of your lust to kill and your lust to kill is the strength of your vengeance! Your hatred will never match mine, do you hear me, it means you are weaker! And I kill the weak!" **_

Sasuke ground his teeth together; images of Itachi filled his mind as Gaara ranted on, "SHUT UP!" Blue chakra sparked around his fist when the Uchiha charged forward. The Sand Nin's preaching had stirred up unwanted memories.

The met with a blinding flash of light. Any bystanders who happened to be watching would have had to close their eyes or else risk the chance of going blind.

Sasuke was panting heavily and clutching his right arm, black jagged marks covered the left side of his body, _damn! It's the curse mark! I pushed myself too far with that last attack. I-I can't move my body! _The Uchiha wheezed before collapsing.

The transformed arm disintegrated into sand again and returned to the gourd on Gaara's back, "_**You're going to wish you hadn't done that Uchiha!" **_

Sasuke opened one eye and saw Gaara charging at him like a raging bull. He tried to move his limbs, but they wouldn't obey. The black haired Konoha genin closed his eyes in defeat. There was nothing to do now but wait for the end and hope it was painless.

"SASUKE!"

The Uchiha's eyes snapped open just in time to see Naruto's foot slam into Gaara's face, knocking him away from him.

"S-Sasuke-kun are you alright?" Hinata stammered, placing a trembling hand on his back.

"I-I can't m-move," he wheezed, even breathing was proving to be difficult. _I-I've got to s-suppress the mark! _He struggled to his hands and knees but collapsed.  
"Sasuke-kun!"

Gaara's sand tail lashed angrily, "_**Die Sasuke Uchiha!**_" he threw himself off the tree branch at the paralyzed Konoha Nin.

Hinata looked from Sasuke to Gaara and threw herself in between them.

"HINATA!" the blonde was too late, Gaara crashed into the Hyuga, pinning her to a tree.

The Sand Nin clutched his head as another migraine set in, "_**Why? Why did you save him you stupid girl!" **_His breathing increased as old memories from his childhood were unearthed. No one ever played with him because of the sand that was always around him. Once he had tried to play with the other children but they had run. In a panic he had accidentally set the sand on them and hurt them. Later that night he asked his uncle about pain and bleeding. His uncle had told him that sometimes the worst injuries a person could get was to the heart. After the conversation Gaara had gone to the rooftop to think on his own, when he was attacked again by a hired assassin. The sand defended him and killed the man but not before Gaara had found out that it had been his own uncle who had tried to take his life, who had been acting on orders from the Kazekage, Gaara's father.

"_**Who are they two you?!" **_The sand Nin shouted.

Naruto looked from Hinata to Sasuke, and then to Gaara, "They're my friends! And I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt them!" He leapt forward kunai draw, but Gaara just brushed him aside like an annoying insect.

Naruto ground his teeth together; _I don't have enough chakra for shadow clones so I guess I'll have to use what purvey sage taught me instead! _"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" _(Summoning Jutsu) _The smoke cleared and in its place was a small toad.

Naruto sweat dropped, "you've gotta be kidding me! All that training and that's the best I can do?!"

Gaara's growling attracted Naruto's attention, the blonde gasped. The Sand ninja had fully transformed!

Hinata grunted in pain, and Gaara laughed, "_**Unless you kill me, the sand around her will tighten and she'll die…nice and slow.**_ **Suna Shuriken**!" (Sand Shuriken) Multiple fast moving balls of dirt sped towards Naruto and his summoning toad.

He grasped the amphibian in one hand dodged the attack.

"Wow, you suck," said the frog.

"Yeah, yeah I heard ya."

"_**What's the matter?" **_asked the raccoon dog, "_**Are you scared of me? Come on fight me like you fought Hyuga! I'll take that power and grind it into dust!" **_

The blonde weighed his options carefully, on the one hand he could turn tail and run leaving Hinata and Sasuke to fend for themselves…or…he could use what little chakra he had and rescue them. He liked the second option better, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_(Shadow Clone Technique) _

Two clones appeared at the blonde's side, "Distract him guys!"

"Right!" saluted the clones in unison.

As his copies danced in and out of Gaarra's striking range, the real Naruto snuck around from behind; _if this works I'll have to thank Kakashi sensei later. _He withdrew a kunai from its pouch when he was less than a foot away from Gaara's…tail.

"One Thousand Years of Death!" he shoved the kunai in near the base of the tail.

Nothing happened.

The blonde was sent flying when the tail swept him off his feet and in to a nearby tree, "heh heh boom,"

The kunai exploded, melting the sand away. Naruto was thrown back from the force, a soft body cushioned his landing, "Sasuke?!"

"Sh-shut up, just get H-Hinata out of he-here. I'll hold him off. I-I'm not about to w-watch my comrade d-die in front of me. I've let too many close to me die already."

Naruto smirked, "Right, and let you have all the fun? I don't think so, **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

Hundreds of Naruto's covered the surrounding tree branches.

Sasuke's jaw just about hit the ground, _S-so many of the at once? What's he thinking?! Where did he get this kind of strength?_

"**Shihōhappō Shuriken!**" (Everywhere Shuriken) All the clones threw a handful of stars and kunai knives at the damaged raccoon dog. "**Uzumaki Naruto Nisen Rendan!**" (Uzumaki Naruto Two thousand Combo)

Gaara's body jerked in unnatural ways as the clones pummeled him from every direction. He roared loudly, the clones disappeared in proofs of smoke.

When the smoke cleared a fully transformed Shukaku stood in front of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Oy." Said the blonde looking up.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, "Well, what are we going to do about that?"

Naruto bit his thumb drawing blood, "Let me handle this! **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" (Summoning Jutsu)

The Uchiha was forced back against a tree from the force of the summoning.

Naruto landed lightly on the Chief Toad's head.

Gamabunta glared at the blonde, "You again! I thought I told you to-Oh…I see." The frog had spotted Shukaku, _hm…what's he doing here?_

"Listen Chief Toad, I know you don't like me that much but I really need your help here!"

The Chief yawned, "Nope, I'm not interested. Find someone else."

The smaller toad hopped up on to Gumabunta's nose, "Aw come on pop's this may not look like much, but he knows what he's doing."

The Uzumaki's eyebrow twitched, _P-Pops? Gumabunta's a father?! _

**With Inara, the Third and Orochimaru…**

Sparks burned the wooden shingles when metal glanced off metal.

Inara skidded back to a stop, breathing heavily. _Damn him he's good!_ She cursed, shaking her hand to regain some of the feeling. The collision had caused Kunatzu to vibrate violently, numbing her hand.

"Inara!" Sarutobi shouted, "This isn't going to work! Even with the demon's help, you're still no match for him!"

"SHUT UP OLD MAN!" Kasaki growled through Inara's mouth.

_Kasaki enough! He's right! Even with your help I'm worthless so I want you to make yourself useful and go find Naruto and Sasuke. I might be able to gain the upper hand if I had some help from them. _

_**"But hatchling, if I leave you your strength will decrease by half! Not to mention we'll transform back. You won't last three minutes!" **_

_I know, but I have to try. I'm not going to have people saying I was never willing to put my life on the line for this village. Besides if you had been paying attention you'd have noticed that there's a giant __**thing**__ about ten miles from here that shouldn't be there. _

Inara turned her head so the demon could get a clear view of the forest.

_**"Shukaku, now I wonder how he got out? Alright hatchling you win, but I'm leaving some of my chakra behind for you to use in case of emergency." **_

The kunoichi smirked, blocking another attack from her father's sword, _Thanks but I won't be needing it. His swordsmanship is far less than perfect. _

Jumping to the side, Inara clapped her hands together in a simple hand sign, "Release!"

A blast of wind knocked the four individuals on the rooftop over. Inara's shadow separated from her body, flying into the sky.

Kasaki's form became solid as he flew in the direction of the raccoon dog demon.

Inara opened one eye cautiously, she felt a little dizzy and extremely fatigued. Something sharp and smooth was pressed into her palm. Slowly she opened her hand, in it was a hallowed out white spike.

_**"Use it to call me if anything goes wrong. I'll be able to hear it anywhere since it's made from one of my dorsal spines." **_

_Thanks Kasaki, __you're like the father I've never had. _

_**"Trust me, I'm WAY too old to be your father and besides if you were my daughter I'd have begged Kyuubi to kill me centuries ago." **_

Sarutobi struggled to his feet, dazed, "What the hell did you just do! You set that monster loose on the Village! You planned this didn't you?! You're in league with him!" he shoved a finger angrily in Orochimaru's direction.

The Sanin shook his head, gripping the claymore in one hand, "I can assure you, if I had thought of this I wouldn't be as surprised as you are."

The Hokage corpses returned to their feet, not a scratch scathed their bodies.

Orochimaru smiled, "Well Sensei, looks like you still have your hands full."

Cold metal rested against his throat, his smile widened, "Very nice Inara, but you lack the drive to complete the task."

The kunoichi shivered, she had him in the palm of her hand! Why couldn't she finish him off? One shift of her wrist was all it would take, "W-what's happening? _What have you done to me?_"

"_I_ haven't done anything my daughter. It's a little thing that nature thought of called imprinting. I was the first thing you saw when you were born. It's ingenious really; it keeps the younger generation from killing their parents. There have only been a few exceptions to this rule, Itachi Uchiha and myself are two of them," he moved the blade of the sword away from his jugular idly, "But you however have just proven that you don't have what it takes."

A rough jolt shook Inara's body; she glanced down and saw the source. Kunatzu, the first Ayanomi blade that had ever been forged over three hundred years ago had been sheared in half by the Kusanagi.

Cold metal bit and tore through her shoulder and was ripped back out. Inara hit her knees clutching the wound, her blood flowing past her fingers. The pain was terrible; it had been awhile since she had had an injury that didn't heal right away.

On the other side of the roof, Sarutobi had managed to pin the corpses in place with many kunai. No matter how much they struggled, they couldn't get loose. _I'm sorry Yodaime but I have to use the sealing Jutsu. I'm not about to let a child give her young life for my old one. _

Orochimaru knelt behind Inara and hugged her, the Kusanagi pierced her other shoulder.

Inara coughed, blood spewed out her mouth, dripping down her chin on to her shirt.

"And to think I thought you were strong," the Sanin mocked, "I guess your hatred for the sand village isn't strong enough. Think about it, they destroyed everything you called home and you're about to die because you relied too heavily on Kasaki."

"I-It's not my f-fault. I c-came back and e-everything was gone. W-Why d-didn't you do anything t-to help? Tell me that."

Orochimaru chuckled, "Me? Help your clan? Now why would I do that when _I _was the one who ordered them to burn it to the ground in the first place?"

"W-what!"

"Oh dear, you're not going to cry now are you? Yes it was my idea to eliminate your family. Why? Because I couldn't afford you to become soft with all the pampering that you would receive once you married the Uchiha heir. But unfortunately I was a little late. You two were introduced earlier than I had anticipated. YOU were supposed to die with them, but I stupidly over looked the fact that you were a small child at the time and your trip to Kasaki was take twice as long as it took me."

Inara's lower lip trembled, so that was why her family was murdered, because of her, it was her fault! All this time she had blamed the Sand Village for ruining her life but all this time it had been her! No, not her alone, her and her father!

The kunoichi's insides turned to ice but a new light shone in her amber eyes. Slowly so her father wouldn't detect the movement, she reached for the jagged end of her broken sword.

Sarutobi had just finished the hand signs when he caught on to what the genin was going to try and pull, "INARA DON'T!"

The Hokage's shout was just the distraction the Ayanomi needed to plunge the sword into her middle all the way up to the hilt.

Orochimaru screamed in pain from behind her, although broken, the blade had been long enough to skewer him as well, just like the kunoichi had planned.

Blood soaked the leather hilt making it slippery. With a rough jerk, Inara twisted the blade, pulled it out, plunged it back in and tore it back out. Her insides were shredded, she was going to die. A cold shiver run up her spine, the black curse marks that covered her body faded and disappeared.

"W-why you little bitch!" the Sanin spat, "How dare you! When I'm finished with you you're gonna wish you'd never been bor-"

"**Fuuin Jutsu Shiki Fuujin!**" _(Enchantment spell Dead Demon Imprisonment) _

Inara's eyes closed as her father's screams filled the air; it was music to her ears.

AN: Well, it's been three months! Finally I've updated! I'm really sorry but I've been working on other stories but I promise that I'll be back to my regular updating schedule as of now. PLEASE REVIEW! It's been months since I read a review and to tell ya the truth I really miss them.


	23. Mourning

AN: I had a Kyuki-do tournament on 2/9/08 I'll let you know how I did at the end of the chapter HA HA now you have to read it! P.S. I'm a yellow belt now!!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. (Sorry couldn't think of anything funny to say…well…how about this—do not meddle in the affairs of dragons because to them you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.)

WARNING: If you are a big Sasuke/Inara fan which I hope many of you are this chapter _will_ make you cry.

**Mourning**

Kasaki flew as fast as his wings would carry him across the sky. His eyes narrowed when Shukaku came into view. _A one tail huh? _The dragon demon would have to watch himself, after a separation from his human vessel there was no telling how powerful he was going to be. His thoughts wandered back to Inara, _don't do anything stupid hatchling._

**With Naruto and Gamabunta…**

"Hold on tight you little runt!" shouted the toad, Naruto gripped one of the warts that covered the frogs head, "Whoa! Slow down will ya?!"

The toad chief charged the raccoon dog, "**Gama Dosuzan!" **_(Toad slash)_

Both creatures were thrown back on impact; Gamabunta skidded to a stop, _damn! He's tougher than I thought! Huh?_ The frog's keen eyes spotted Gaara in the Shukaku's sandy body, "Runt! Take a look at its head."

Naruto squinted, "What the-? Is he asleep?!"

"I was afraid of this, if he let's his guard down, even to sleep, Shukaku will take over his body. Look at the rings around his eyes. He hasn't slept in years. If he was to fall asleep, Shukaku would devour his personality so he wouldn't be himself anymore."

"Well then we just can't let him fall asleep then!" said the small frog.

"It's not that simple," said Gamabunta, "If the host _voluntarily_ falls asleep, the Shukaku will have full power over the transformed body."

A malicious smile spread across Gaara's face, "_**Very interesting you toad, but let's see how well you deal with this…Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!**_" (The Art of Playing Possum) The light blue eyes rolled up into the back of their sockets, Gaara's body went limp.

**"AAHHH finally! That brat's let me out! Ohhh what's this? I see something I want to kill!" **

Naruto inhaled sharply, "What the hell just happened?!"

"Damn it! This isn't good. Shukaku has awakened!"

**"Futon: Renkudan!" **_(Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet) _The demon's stomach swelled to twice its normal size. Taking one of its enormous paws, Shukaku struck his stomach. A bullet of air accelerated rapidly towards the blonde and toad chief.

"Hang on tight Naruto!" Gamabunta leaped into the air, "**Suiton: Teppodama!)**_(Water Release: Gunshot)_ Orbs of water blasted apart the air bullets.

Shukaku growled angrily and sent another round at them which was countered by the water attack.

"Naruto! You've got to wake up the container! Then the Jutsu will break!" shouted the chief toad while dodging another round of air Jutsu.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that with you jumping around so much?!" complained the blonde.

A dark shadow eclipsed the sunlight for a moment the landed heavily on the ground with an enormous thud, **"I may be of some help that is if you're willing to accept it." **

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the black dragon. White and black dorsal spines ran from the crest of its head down to the tips of its seven tails. Tattered black wings folded gracefully, waiting for their next use. Crystal blue eyes glared at Shukaku with hate.

"K-Kasaki?" stammered the blonde, what was Inara's demon doing here?

The dragon didn't take its gaze off the raccoon dog, who gulped nervously at the seven-tail's appearance, **"Yes Naruto, Inara's fine. In fact she's the one who sent me to help you."**

The Sand demon laughed nervously, _**"Ka-Kasaki, long time no see? Heh heh, I heard you didn't have such good luck defeating Kyuubi in your last battle. Getting a little rusty are we?" **_

**"I'll show you rusty you son-of-a-bitch!" **Orange flames blasted out of the dragon's mouth.

Shukaku blocked the attack; bits of his paws fell to the earth as pieces of glass. He howled in pain as the sand shifted to replace the claws.

"Kasaki, we need to awaken his container, then he'll disappear." Said Gamabunta, "but in order to do that Naruto needs to be able to get close to him. I'm a toad so I don't have teeth or claws to hang on to things, you do."

**"I see, Naruto climb on to my head and hang on tight." **

The blonde did as he was told, clinging on to one of the broken spines for dear life.

Kasaki spread his torn wings, Naruto winced, it was the Kyuubi that had done that to him. He looked at the broken spike, had the Kyuubi done that too?

The black dragon circled Shukaku from above, the raccoon demon spun around in circles trying to keep the seven tail in his line of sight.

"**Futon: Renkudan!" **_(Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet) _

"Watch out you stupid lizard!" Naruto screamed.

**"Hey watch it hatchling I'm a dragon, **_**dragon**_** not lizard. I don't do that tongue thing."** Kasaki flicked his tongue in and out.

The Uzumaki raised a yellow eyebrow, "What kind of demon are you?"

Kasaki nodded his head, sending the air bullets back at Shukaku, who dodged at the last second.

**"Well I wouldn't expect you to understand the relationship Inara and I have." **

"Relationship?"

The dragon spat a stream of lightning at his opponent, **"Inara and I are a team, she keeps me alive and I do that same for her. I'm guessing you and the Kyuubi don't have anything like that. By the way, how is the old bastard anyway?"**

"H-he's fine, I think. He never talks to me like you do to Inara. He only lends me his chakra if I'm in serious trouble," Naruto was silent for a few moments while his mount performed some impressive aerial acrobatics to dodge more Jutsu's from the Shukaku, "Why do you do it? Talk to her, that is."

Kasaki smiled,**"Because before she met you and that Uchiha, I was the only friend she had. I watch out for her and love her as if she were my own child. When she came here and graduated from the academy I fell out of her favor." **

Naruto was silent again; all the flips and sudden turns were making him sick.

"**I didn't mind though, after four years of only me for company it was about time she made some human friends and I don't think she could have done a better job of it. Now hang on tight and be ready to jump, I'm going in." **

Kasaki fell from the sky, landing directly on top of the raccoon dog, pinning him to the ground with his weight.

Shukaku felt sharp teeth close around his throat and ceased his struggling.

Naruto saw his chance and jumped off the dragon's head, "Nap time's over Gaara!" Skulls cracked together painfully.

The Sand Nin's eyes snapped open.

"_**NNNOOO!!!**_" Shukaku's body disintegrated back into sand and returned to the gourd on Gaara's back.

Naruto lay face down on the dirt; blood ran down into his eyes from an injury that was hidden beneath his air.

"Naruto!" Sasuke was at his friend's side, "Naruto are you alright?"

The blonde smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Yeah…sure thing." He whispered before passing out.

Kasaki braced his legs retching, his stomach heaved, his chakra became visible and went berserk, _Wh-what's happening? _His scales stood on end and began flaking off in a black rain.

**"No! No it can't be!" **his body shrunk down to the size of a human. Bones broke, cracking loudly, and reformed. Teeth shrunk, claws faded to a pale pink and retreated. Scaly paws became fleshy hands, black skin faded to tan.

Kasaki opened his eyes and looked down at his body. Cold fear raced up his spine, he was human!

_NO! The seal's been broken, which means…HATCHLING! _He struggled up on to his new legs, but fell back to the earth. _Damn these human legs!_ He ran on all fours through the forest, _please, please don't let me be too late!_ He passed a dead sand ninja and skidded to a stop.

Kasaki looked down at his naked body, to the clothed corpse. Quickly he removed the shirt and pants, pulled them on and continued on his way.

He returned to the viewing platform were Inara, the Third and Orochimaru had made their stand. Kasaki sniffed the air carefully, the smell of rotting flesh stung his nostrils, and then he saw the source of the odor.

The Third Hokage lies on his back, the shine of life fading from his dark, wise eyes. A sword wound tore open his chest.

"The Kunsanagi," the demon said to himself, _but that isn't what killed him. _The familiar odor of the sealing Jutsu filled his nostrils. It was similar to that of burning flesh and blood. He spotted the seal on the Hokage's stomach and shook his head.

_The same seal that contains the Kyuubi, foolish old man he shouldn't have done that. _

A quiet moan snapped Kasaki's attention to the still form lying on the other side of the rooftop, "Hatchling," the demon breathed before sprinting across the broken shingles.

The damage done by Kunatzu was excessive. One gaping hole ran clean through the kunoichi's stomach, the second through her chest. Dried blood caked her black clothing and skin. Her eyes flickered open, Kasaki knelt down to support her head.

"Wh-who are…you?" she whispered.

"Ssshhh," he told her, "that isn't important right now. I'm here to help you." Black chakra engulfed his hands; gently he placed them on Inara's wounds.

A few minutes passed before Kasaki was forced to give up. He didn't have enough chakra to save her, all he had succeeded in doing was drawing out her life force so her death would be a slow one. But he wasn't about to give up. Being careful not to move her more than was necessary, he scooped her up in his arms and slung her over his back.

_She's her only chance…if she can't help Inara will die. I just hope it isn't too hard to find her; Inara can't hang on for much longer. _

He jumped from the rooftop and spun around quickly, _it'd be too easy to track my scent. _ Kasaki sent Inara on the ground in front of him and form some quick hand signs, "**Suiton: Kouku no Jutsu!**"

Black oil burst from the ground soaking every piece of wood that constructed the building, "**Kanton: Karyu Endan!**"

White-hot flames touched the oil setting the building aflame.

Kasaki threw up his arms in defense when the fire it a pool of the black liquid resulting in a large explosion that tore the building apart down to the foundation.

Inara screamed in pain when glass fragments flew through the air and imbedded themselves in her eyes. The shock caused her to pass out when the dragon demon picked her up again.

A leaf headband clattered to the ground silently against the crackling of the orange flames as they spread from building to building.

Sarutobi's body was reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. Cremation was the highest form of burial that could have been offered at the time and was often reserved for those who died in battle like the Third had.

**With Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke…**

Sasuke and Hinata raced as fast as they could back to the village. Gaara's brother Kankuro and sister Temari had stopped by to retrieve their sibling.

"What do you think will happen now?" asked Hinata.

Sasuke sighed, "I don't know, but I have a feeling it won't be good." The Uchiha carried his unconscious teammate on his back.

After a few silent minutes, Naruto stirred.

Sasuke stopped and set the blonde on his own two feet, "You okay?" he clapped his friend on the back.

Naruto shook his head, the colors blurred together as the forest spun around him. He knees buckled and he fell forward.

Hinata caught him before he went down, Naruto smiled at her weakly. The Hyuga blushed.

When Naruto was feeling well enough to move again the small group sped back to the village.

They were less then a quarter mile away when a loud explosion sent scorching flames directly at them. Sasuke jumped into the treetops while Naruto grabbed hold of the paralyzed Hinata and pinned her to the trunk of a tree, his body shielding her from the heat blast.

Glass, wood, cement and rocks hurled past the couple's hiding spot, some of it imbedded itself in the bark of the tree but failed at traveling all the way through to bury into Hinata's back.

The heat wave passed and Sasuke jumped down from the burning tree he had taken refuge in, "Naruto, Hinata!" he called through the crackling of dry tinder. A bough from the tree above came crashing down almost pinning him beneath.

Sasuke covered his nose and mouth with his headband to filter out the smoke. The air was dry making the fire all the more powerful. Smoldering leaves made his eyes water as he looked for his companions, "Naruto! Hinata!"

He ran to where he had seen them last, but they weren't there.

"Sasuke!" said a familiar high-pitched voice, "Over here!" shouted Naruto. He and Hinata had jumped clear of the flames just before their tree had caught fire.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" shouted the Uchiha.

"Shouldn't we try to put the fire out?" Hinata asked.

Naruto shook his head, "It's too late. The dry air and earth made it go out of control. There's nothing we can do now but wait for it to die out."

An idea flashed in the Uchiha's brain, "Naruto say that again."

"We have to wait for the fire to die out?"

"No about the air and earth."

"The dry air and earth made the fire go out of control?"

"EXACTLY! You guys get out of here I'll be right back!" Without another word Sasuke took to the non-burning trees to put his plan into action.

Five miles South of the Konoha gates the raven haired Shinobi skidded to a halt,_ I hope this works, _he flashed through some familiar hand signs, "**Kanton: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**" (_Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) _Flames raced along the tree line and off towards the opposing line of flames.

**With Naruto and Hinata…**

It didn't take Sasuke long to catch up with his teammate with orange flames licking at his heels. A few times he had to dodge the second line of flames to avoid becoming a human steak. Sooner than he had thought the two walls of flames met and burned each other out. With nothing else left in reach to burn, the flames shrunk to small, manageable spot fires that were quickly extinguished by a few Chunin.

The trio reached the village at last, but what they saw was far from welcoming. Over a fourth of the village had been destroyed in the explosion and another third by the rampaging snakes that had been killed a few hours before, but the damage remained.

Bodies were scattered everywhere, some Leaf, others Sand and Sound. Some of the corpses had caught fire and were left to burn in cremation until nothing but a pile of ashes remained.

Most of the Jonin and Chunin were looking for survivors while the genin and medics treated wounds ranging from burns and lacerations to broken bones.

Hinata spotted Kiba and Shino, the kunoichi breathed a sigh of relief knowing that her teammates were alright. Lee, Neji, Tenten and Guy were among the injured but nothing too serious mostly some broken fingers or minor cuts. Ino, Shikamaru and Sakura were helping the medics treat an irritable patient. Asuma and Kurenai were too busy searching the area for survivors to take notice of the trio's arrival.

"Have you three seen Inara around?" asked a voice from behind.

The genin spun around, kunai in hand, but quickly relaxed when they recognized Kakashi.

"What do you mean? Is Inara sensei missing?" asked Hinata, a hint of panic rose in her voice.

Sasuke's insides turned to ice.

"I wouldn't say 'missing' but she hasn't checked in since she left to fight her father."

"WHAT!" Sasuke exploded, "Why did you let her do that?! Do you have any idea who her father is?!"

Kakashi removed his student's fist from his vest, "Yes Sasuke I do, she went on her own accord and it's not my place to intervene in family affairs."

"Not intervene? She could be dead because of you!" the Uchiha continued to shout, "Where did she go?!" he demanded.

Kakashi pointed to the demolished observation building.

Sasuke felt his stomach drop to his knees, _No, please god no!_ He took of in a blind rage.

Naruto, Hinata and Kakashi followed closely behind.

The raven-haired genin began digging though the wreckage as fast as his strength would allow, all the while calling out Inara's name.

Half an hour passed before Kakashi stopped him, "Sasuke, nothing could have survived this."

The Uchiha brushed the Jonin's hand off his shoulder, "Shut up! This is all your fault! If you hadn't let her go she'd be here right now!"

The Jonin winced, Sasuke was right; because he had done nothing, one of his precious students could be dead. _I never let my comrades die._ He had told them, but now the words made him look like a fool.

"Hinata, your Byakugan can see chakra can't it?" Sasuke asked out of desperation. Every second he spent searching was another minute that the truth started closing around his heart.

"Y-yes but what does this have to do-"

"Just do it! Look for her chakra!" he demanded.

Hinata nodded fearfully and activated her bloodline trait.

Naruto glanced nervously from Kakashi to Sasuke to Hinata and back at Sasuke. He didn't like this new side of his teammate. The blonde was about to tell the Hyuga to stop when she gasped loudly making everyone jump.

"I see something! Over there under that beam!" she pointed ten feet to the left from where they were currently standing.

Sasuke was over at the beam faster than anyone could blink. His muscles protested against the weight, but he kept trying to move the hunk of wood.

Naruto and Hinata came to their friend's aid but still it wasn't enough. Only when Kakashi joined in did the beam move out of the way.

Kunatzu lay sheared in half on the ground; the left over chakra had been what Hinata had spotted.

Sasuke picked up the hilt of the sword, his breathing and heart increased with worry; so far things weren't looking up.

Naruto gasped, he knew his teammate well enough that she wouldn't go anywhere without the Ayanomi blade strapped to her back. He rested a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder, "Sasuke, I'm so-"

"Keep looking…" the raven-haired genin whispered.

The blonde looked to his sensei for help, Kakashi shook his head.

Naruto sighed, even if he knew it was going to be pointless, he decided to humor his friend, "Alright, we'll look until the sun sets."

**Dusk…**

Black storm clouds blotted out the last rays of sunlight a few hours earlier than expected. Lightning flashed across the sky, a few moments later the loud crack of thunder was heard in the distance.

Hinata paused in her search for more evidence of Inara's death, but anything she found had been burned to a crisp, she guessed the body had been as well. She worked her way over to Naruto who had flipped another charred beam out of the way.

"Naruto…why does he…why does he keep looking?" she asked timidly, given the situation she didn't know exactly how to word the question.

The blonde stood up and straightened his back, "You and I don't know what it's like to lose someone you love. Me, I have no parents and grew up a ward of the state. You, well, you live in the comfort of one of the most powerful clans in all of Konoha. While Sasuke…" he paused, he didn't know the details of the story but he understood the basics of it, "He's had to deal with the loss of his entire family. He and his brother, they're the only ones left and one day it's either going to be him or Itachi."

The Hyuga nodded, none of the genin could forget the day they had overheard their parents talking of the Uchiha tragedy.

"The same thing happened to Inara," Naruto continued.

Hinata gasped, "You mean Inara sensei's family was killed too?!"

The blonde nodded, "Exactly one year after Sasuke's. They were betrothed you know. Inara and Sasuke were going to restart their clans together; it was the will of the two clan's elders. But now, the Ayanomi line will never be restored…and I doubt…that the Uchiha's will make a comeback either."

Icy chills ran down Naruto's spine, he spun around quickly to see his teammate glaring at him.

"You're wrong baka, the Ayanomi name still lives and I _will_ kill my brother and I _will_ restore my clan."

Naruto winced at the old insult then stared down at his feet, "Sasuke, when will you giv-"

"If you have time to talk you're not looking hard enough. Every second we waste up here in another second she is from dying," said the Uchiha coldly.

Kakashi dangled a headband in front of his student's face, "I found it a hundred yards away from where the observation tower was."

Sasuke took it, "Did you find anything else?"

The Jonin shook his head.

"It's hers," mumbled Hinata.

"NO IT'S NOT!" the raven-haired genin hissed.

Naruto pulled a long strand of white hair off the headband, "Sasuke what more proof do you need?"

"No, NO!" he shook his head violently; "Tons of people in Konoha have white hair! It could be one of theirs."

"There's only one way to be positive," said Kakashi, "Smell it."

The genin shot him a confused look.

"Everyone has their own scent, the smell of their house, soap and hair products. Sasuke you were around her enough to categorize Inara's scent, which would have rubbed off on the headband. Smell it, if you recognize it you'll know it was hers."

"Shouldn't we get Kiba to do this? He has a more accurate sense of-"

"If you won't do it then I will," Naruto threatened, "I've been around her a lot on missions so I know what she smells like too."

Sasuke gulped nervously before closing his eyes. Slowly he lifted the headband under his nose and inhaled deeply. A few anxious seconds passed before the black eyes snapped back open, the forehead protector clattered to the ground and Sasuke hit his knees, "C-cedar…" he sobbed, "She changed her conditioner to cedar…I-it's hers."

Kakashi bowed his head; his lack of action had gotten his student killed.

Naruto glared at the dirt under his feet and wrapped an arm around the crying Hinata to comfort her. She buried her face into the orange jacket. The blonde rested his chin on her black hair and rubbed her back slowly.

Sasuke's whole body shook, then without warning he took to the trees at a rapid pace.

Naruto moved to follow but Kakashi's grip on his jacket stopped him. He looked at his sensei pleadingly but the Jonin shook his head, "He needs to be alone right now."

**With Sasuke…**

He didn't stop running until his knees gave out from underneath him. A loud clap of thunder shook the heavens. A flash of lightning tore through the night sky.

Sasuke was on his hands and knees gasping for air. Rain hid the tears that ran down his face. Weakened, he curled up in a ball in the mud, hugging his knees, a blank look spread across his face.

_Why…why does this always happen to me. Why her…of all people why did I have to grow close to her? _

He hid his face in his knees and sobbed. Why had he ignored other girls but not her? Was it because she never obsessed over him? Or maybe it was her uncanny way of making him smile even when in the worst of moods.

The rain continued to fall when the Uchiha realized where he was, training area 7 where they had had their first mission together.

He looked at the training logs.

_Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves, which resulted in Inara's head almost being cut off by the giant claymore._

_"Damn it Kakashi why do you have to do that?!" swore the kunoichi. _

The memory faded and was replaced by another, the first dangerous mission they had been on with Tazuna. The old bridge builder had accidentally mistaken Inara as one of Kakashi's relatives. The scene played before his empty eyes like a movie.

"_Look old geezer just because I look like that pervert," Inara pointed in Kakashi's direction, "doesn't mean I'm related to him! GOT IT!" she screamed as she held a kunai to his throat._

_"Inara, drop your weapon! He didn't know!" Sasuke said, immediately running up to stop Inara from cutting the old man's jugular. _

_"GGGGGRRRRR! PUT ME DOWN SASUKE!"_

_"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU PUT DOWN YOUR KUNAI!" shouted her teammate as he struggled to keep hold of her. _

_**Damn! She's stronger than she looks!**__ He thought._

_"Inara put the knife away, Sasuke let go of Inara, and Naruto quit trying to kill Tazuna," sighed Kakashi sweat dropping. He shot Sasuke an odd look who immediately released the screaming kunoichi._

_"What? I had to do something or she would have killed him" replied the black-haired ninja innocently._

_"But picking her up?"_

_" IT WAS THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF!"_

_"You like her don't you."_

_"NO! HOW COULD YOU EXPECT ME TO LIKE SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE THAT!!" he pointed at Inara._

_"Okay... whatever you say Uchiha." teased the Jonin._

Sasuke's chest throbbed painfully, _Sasuke's coal black eyes penetrated Inara's pale yellow ones. _

_"You didn't need to tell them that much, I'm not the war hero as you made it sound."_

_Inara blushed noticeably. "Sorry got a little carried away_."

The battle on the bridge…Inara had gotten carried away bragging about his lineage for him.

_Haku darted towards Naruto and Inara Senbon needles poised for the kill._

_Sasuke anticipated the boy's movements, "OH NO YOU DON'T!"_

_The raven hair boy chuckled slightly only to cough up more blood. "Because," he stammered, "I couldn't trust a dobe like you to protect Inara."_

"_Who said I wanted you to protect me?" sniffed the Kunoichi._

"_Well... let's ...just...say... that I wouldn't...be able to live with...myself if...anything...bad were to...happen to you..." Sasuke smiled._

_Tears began to flow again, "Sasuke you...you..." She couldn't finish her sentence, she was too heart broken; the only one that she ever loved, was dying right in front of her._

_Sasuke tuned Naruto, "Baka...protect her... if you let that bastard lay one hand on her... I'll come back and make your life...a living hell... Got it?"_

His fight with Haku, his closest brush with death to this day…

_Inara sat quietly waiting... He should attack in 3...2...1..._

_Sasuke's form burst out of nowhere and slammed into Inara, who quickly, without thinking, placed her foot in his gut and flipped him on to his back pinning him with his arms above his head. She sat there on his stomach giving him an "I told you so" smile. _

_Sasuke glared at her, __**Curse her defenses!**__ He thought, "Okay enough playing, let me up." the Uchiha demanded._

_Inara smirked, "Say it first," she teased._

_"Not in a million years."_

_"Say it or you can stay like that for all of eternity."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes; this girl sure was annoying, "Fine, you're a better Shinobi than I am. There you happy?"_

The rain stopped and the moon shone through the patches. Soaked to the bone, Sasuke lay still, just wanting to sink into the mud and forget everything.

The next memory was the saddest and yet at the time, it had been the best moments of the young genin's life.

_A scrap of paper fell over the Ayanomi's eyes, she picked it up. It was difficult to see in the dark but she could just make out four people in the picture._

"_Do you recognize him?" Sasuke kneeled and pointed to the smallest child in the photo._

_Inara squinted to see the child's features, she inhaled sharply when the memory came flooding back, "I-it's Onii-kun." _

"_Well yes, and no. Inara, that's a picture of my family when we were all still together. The older one is my brother, and the smaller one, Onii-kun as you called him…is me." _

"_But-but that means…we're…" Despite the sword at her neck, Inara jumped up and hugged Sasuke, tears of happiness fell from her eyes. _

_He held on to her not wanting to let go, "And to think, we were honoring our clans wishes this whole time." _

_A flash of light exploded in the sky, the fireworks had started._

"_Come on Kakashi sensei and Naruto are probably waiting for us." The Uchiha took Inara's hand and led her back to where Roc was waiting patiently for them. _

The silver light hit a smooth object, sending a bright reflection into Sasuke's eyes. He turned his head to look at it.

The memorial stone was peaceful lying in the clearing.

An idea stirred the paralyzed teen's brain. Slowly he got to his feet and stumbled to it. With tears still running down his face the Uchiha etched a name into the stone using the dragon hand blade. Half way though his hand slipped, red blood slid down the blade, staining the letters crimson.

Not long after Sasuke backed away to look at his handy work, the fresh name was carved in a larger print than the others.

Exhausted from the day's events and emotional stress, he lay down on the ground for an uneasy slumber.

**With Kakashi…**

The Jonin was beginning to worry. It had been hours since Sasuke had run off and he had the gut feeling it wasn't to home.

He glanced at the sky; from the position of the moon it must be around two in the morning.

Because of the heavy rain, Pakkun wasn't able to track the Uchiha's scent and all visible traces had been washed away. He passed the training grounds and noticed a form that hadn't been there the day before. Kakashi saw the memorial stone and knew immediately that it was Sasuke.

He looked down at his students pained face and shook his head. A new name on the stone caught his eye.

"So that's what you've been out here doing." He said to Sasuke's unconscious form. There, cut neatly into the black stone was the name Inara Uchiha.

The Jonin sighed and ran his hand over the blood stained name, "I'm sorry Inara…I shouldn't have let you go."

He turned his attention back to the sleeping genin and scooped him up in his arms.

Sasuke didn't wake up or move.

Worried now, Kakashi slipped the Uchiha's headband off and felt his forehead. _He's got a fever…probably from staying out in that storm. _"Pakkun, tell Naruto he can stop looking."

The pug nodded when his master ran in the direction of the Uchiha mansion.

**Uchiha Compound…**

The Jonin almost felt like a father as he lay his student down and covered him up with the warm blankets. He took a bottle of pills from a pocket in his vest and set some on the nightstand along with a glass of water.

Silently he got a washcloth from the adjoining bathroom and wet it with cool water. He returned to the pitch-black bedroom and laid it across Sasuke's warm forehead.

_The fever should break by tomorrow. Right now he just needs to rest. _ Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed for awhile and watched the genin sleep.

_He's the same age I was…when Rin and Obito were taken. _Tears prickled behind the white haired man's eyes, quickly he wiped them away before they had the chance to fall, _Poor Sasuke, I bet it seems like the world is against you now. This is the second time someone you loved was stolen from you. It's not fair, for someone your age to have to experience the pain of the death of a friend…or in your case…a lover, but I'm sure you'll find someone else…in time after the pain is reduced to a dull throb. Trust me, it gets easier. _

He rose from the bed and showed himself out the door; it was time he got to sleep as well.

The clock on the wall ticked off the hours in its unchanging rhythm. Everyone in Kohoha was asleep, exhausted from the day's events. Some slept easily, others tossed and turned, haunted by nightmares, while some cried themselves to sleep from the loss of a loved one.

Kakashi stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, the moonlight shone through the window lighting up a small portion of the room.

_The funeral's going to be tomorrow. With the total body count there's going to be a lot of people there. _ He shook his head, now wasn't the time to being thinking of the near future when sleep was desperately needed.

**With Naruto…**

The blonde lay in bed and stared at his team photo that sat on the dresser next to his bed. Kakashi was wearing his classical upside down "U" 'smile', Sasuke scowled at the camera, annoyed at being put in the same team as he was. The blonde in the picture was giving the camera a thumbs up, his headband pulled over one eye, mocking his teacher. Inara smirked in the camera, her arms folded across her chest. She looked defiant in the picture, almost violent even. Her sword caught the sun's glare and was captured as a white blur.

The Uzumaki sighed and tipped the photo over so he wouldn't have to look at it any more before rolling over and falling into a restless sleep.

**With Sasuke…**

The genin awoke with a start; sitting bolt upright in bed, cold sweat ran off his body from a nightmare and the fever.

He spotted the pills on the nightstand and swallowed them. The sun was just beginning to rise and shone on the polished wooden floors.

_It was only a dream? It seemed too real…_Just to be sure, he checked the calendar; sure enough the day had been circled in red to remind him of the Chunin exams.

_Thank god, that was the worst nightmare I've had in a long time_. He went to his dresser to get dressed and noticed that he was already clothed.

"What the hell?" a pain in his right hand made him wince. He held it up and saw the bandages; the blood seeped through in a narrow red line. All the air was forced out of the genin's lungs, _no…it can't be._

Not bothering to put on his headband, Sasuke bolted out the door and headed for Inara's apartment.

**With Naruto…**

The sunlight hit the blonde's closed eyes making him roll over. Defeated he sat up and stretched, the night had passed to quickly. He saw the upturned picture and his spirits sank…today was the day of the funeral.

After a quick breakfast of ramen and milk, Naruto tied his headband on and left to see how Sasuke was fairing.

**Apartment Complex…**

"Inara open up it's me!" Sasuke shouted while pounding on the door. One of the neighbors scolded him for being noisy; he apologized and tapped his fingers impatiently on his leg.

"Inara…please open the door?" no answer. He glared at the barrier, _fine, there's more than one way to get into an apartment, _he thought running down the stairs and out the door.

Sasuke stared up and focused all his chakra to his feet. Quickly he ran up the side of the building and crashed through Inara's apartment window. He brushed the glass off himself, "Sorry about that but you wouldn't open the door." The Uchiha looked around, the small room was empty.

"Inara?" he checked everywhere, in the kitchen, bathroom even the public baths each site was fruitless.

He returned to the room and slammed the door shut. The emptiness from yesterday sank in once again. Miserable and alone, he lay down on the single bed, staring at the empty apartment.

Her scent was still strong on the pillow that he rested his head on. It drove him crazy. Slowly he closed his eyes and day dreamed, letting the memories of the past ease his pain. A singer tear slid from the corner of Sasuke's eye and soaked into the mattress.

AN: God, wipes away tear I hated writing this. I just…really wanted Inara to come into her apartment and be ok but…I can't do that. For all you out there who have ever lost a loved one I'm one of them you know better than anyone else what Sasuke is going through right now. And those of you who think I made him a wimp in this chapter…think about this…take the person in your life that you love the most and imagine that they just suddenly died and you'll never see them again. That's what Sasuke's going through and trust me…it hurts even the toughest person.

P.S. I didn't place in my tournament and I wanted to kill something….


	24. My Final Farewell

AN: WOOT! It's only been a month since I last tested for my yellow belt and now I'm testing again for my green stripe! I am advancing quickly! Now if I were to change this to Naruto ranks I'll be a new Chunin…currently I'm a very experienced genin…ahem. Anyway, I received so many wonderful reviews; I read them and literally almost had a heart attack! One person, who unfortunately does not have an account on fanfiction ACTUALLY signed their name "Inara's Heart" I want to hug you people! But because of you and I being hundreds of miles apart…I cannot.

Disclaimer: Thou shall not weight more than thy refrigerator!! Wait…oops wrong one ahem you all know the drill by now…so I'm not going to waste my breath.

AN2: HOLY CRAP! I just realized that I've been working on this story for a year now!! Looking back on my first few chapters then comparing them to the last one I realized…my writing back then sucked! Anyway another thing I just thought of was it's been a year here in the "real" world while in Naruto verse it's only been two months…just thought I'd point that out.

**I Can't Believe you're Gone…My Final Farewell **

Birds of the morning sang sweetly despite the previous days events. Robins, Larks, Chickadee's and Finches answered each others calls, gracing any human ears a beautiful song of peace.

The sky was beginning to turn a rosy shade of pink, scaring away the night's blackness. Not a cloud obscured the warm rays of the sun as they dried the dew on the leaves and grass.

Naruto walked down the empty Konoha streets with his arms behind his head. He inhaled deeply, taking in the rare smell of the morning. Everyone else was still asleep or in their houses. Not even the ANBU had reported for their days assignments.

The blonde yawned, he hadn't slept well that night but it didn't dampen his good mood. On such a beautiful morning, who could afford to be miserable? Sure he was upset that one of his teammates was gone forever but he quickly told himself the night before that Inara wouldn't want him sulking around feeling sorry for her.

"_Lighten up baka before I pin a smile on to that face of yours with a kunai!" _Naruto smiled and fought the urge to laugh, _yeah, that's what she'd say. _He told himself.

The Uzumaki's feet stopped moving and his fist banged on the wooden door of the main Uchiha house, "Hey Sasuke, you there?!" he shouted when the door wasn't opened.

Minutes ticked by and Naruto grew irritated, "He can't still be asleep could he?" The blonde checked to make sure no one was watching him before he slipped around to the back to check the other doors and windows.

He peered inside, it was black. The morning's rays hadn't yet reached the inside of the house.

"Sasuke? You home?" he tapped on the glass, but there was no movement from within the dark house. He scratched his head, confused, "Well where the hell would he go?"

Sprinting, he left to check all the usual places.

**10:00 A.M. … **

Naruto sat down on the swing in the Academy schoolyard, frustrated. He had checked every place that he could think of, the training areas, the ramen shop, all the houses in the Uchiha district, the Academy, all the city gates and he even tried to locate Kakashi's house, but just succeeded in almost getting lost.

"If Sensei was here, what would he say?" he thought for a bit then rolled his eyes. Kakashi would probably tell him to leave his teammate be and that Sasuke would show up on his own time.

Naruto pushed himself on the swing, thinking. The weight of the matter was beginning to pull down on him and the sadness of losing a friend was beginning to wear on him once again. He sighed and jumped off the swing, there was one place he still hadn't checked.

**Apartment Complex…**

Naruto jiggled the handle of the door but it remained shut. He glared at it. For being so beat up and old, it sure held well. The blonde jumped away than sprinted forward, ramming his shoulder in to the door, it didn't budge.

A short grizzled looking man with crooked teeth shuffled up to him, "I tired of you young'uns always makin so much racket! Here, take the key and open the door instead of tryen to break it down!" he scuffled back to his own room and slammed the door shut leaving Naruto blinking in the darkness.

Silently the blonde slipped the key in the hole and turned it. The well oiled hinges didn't even squeak when he pushed it open slowly. He glanced around the small apartment. It was similar to his in size and design but a few some appliances were in different places and the bed was shoved under a window instead of a wall in his case.

Naruto spotted the Uchiha sound asleep in the twin mattress, curled up in a ball. Dark stains running down into the mattress suggested that he had cried himself to sleep.

The Uzumaki's spirits fell, he felt sorry for his friend couldn't possibly imagine the pain the raven haired Shinobi must be going through. Naruto noticed something clutched in Sasuke's hand, carefully, so he didn't wake him, the blonde removed it.

Smiling back up at him was a much younger and black haired Inara. Her yellow eyes were alight with the fire that he had seen only when she was determined to win.

Suddenly the picture was snatched out of his hand. Sasuke glared at him through cold narrow eyes, "What are you doing here baka?"

Naruto glared back, he had been tolerant of the nickname before, but no longer. He was sick of being made fun of especially by one of the Academy's top students and his best friend, "I should be asking you the same thing. Breaking an entering is against the law you know."

Sasuke sat up and stretched, "That's my business, now get out! You have no right to be here!" he hissed.

Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists in anger, "She was my teammate too Sasuke. I have as much right to be here as you do," the Uchiha's hand suddenly enclosed around his throat.

"No…you don't." Sasuke spat.

"What would she say if she saw you like this huh?" Naruto gasped, the pressure around his neck eased off a little, "She'd be disappointed in you that's what. This isn't the Sasuke that she and I were teammates with. This isn't the Sasuke that she found out she was betrothed to… Who are you?"

The Uchiha let his hand fall to his side, numb, he sat down on the edge of the bed and hid his face in his hands, "I-I'm sorry Naruto, but…I don't know what else to do. I know that nothing can bring her back but I just feel—so empty. It's like there's a hole in my heart that won't ever be filled."

The Uzumaki sighed and sat down on the floor, "Well you can start by forgiving yourself. It's the most difficult thing that a person will have to do in their life. But Sasuke, Inara's death wasn't your fault, if anyone's it was Orochimaru's. He's the one who killed her."

Sasuke set his jaw, his fists shook, "I'll kill him," he whispered, "I swear it. Orochimaru will pay. From here on out I am an avenger. I'll walk the solemn path leaving the pain and sorrow behind me. I'll keep my end of our promise." He picked Garyuu up off the floor where he had placed it last night and unsheathed it, "And she will keep hers." Silently he ran his thumb down the edge of the sword, neatly slicing it; the vow was sealed in blood. Quickly the Uchiha sheathed to weapon.

Naruto stared up at his teammate, "So…what are you going to do?"

Sasuke sighed and flung himself back down on the bed, "First things first…I finish my training and become an ANBU as fast as I can. Five years tops, that's all the time I'm going to take. After that I go looking for him and Itachi."

"Seems kinda irrational doesn't it? To go looking for trouble?"

The Uchiha glared at the ceiling, "Well what do you think I should do?! I'm sure as hell not going to wait for them to come here! I'll make it up as I go."

Naruto shook his head and was silent. Half an hour passed in silence. The sun's rays peeked through the window brightening the room.

"So she's really gone huh?" Naruto asked after some time.

Sasuke rolled over so he could see his friend lying on the floor "Yeah." Quickly he rubbed the grime off his face along with any traces of tears.

The Uzumaki sighed and sat up. At the end of the bed he noticed a medium sized trunk. The lid was open and the contents looked as if they had been rummaged through. He crawled over to it and inspected from of the items.

Scrolls, books, bolts of cloth, leather, a small broken hand held mirror, and miscellaneous clothes were all spread out on the floor. A stack of photos caught the blonde's attention. He picked them up and riffled through them quickly.

Most of them were of a very young Inara; she couldn't have been more than three years old. A white kitten was clutched in her tiny arms. There was more of her during what appeared to be a party of some sort. The next four were of the kunoichi and her mother.

Naruto almost dropped the picture in surprise. Looking back up at him was Inara and a slender brunette woman with hazel eyes. Mother and daughter were exact copies of each other. Naruto flipped through them and stopped at the next set. Six year old Inara and a small black haired boy were crawling out of a fort with chocolate covering their hands and faces.

The blonde stifled a snort of laughter and help up the photo "Is this you?" he asked his teammate.

Sasuke sat up and nodded, "I got sick not long after that picture was taken. After that I decided I wouldn't have sweets ever again." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

The next image was of the friends wrestling outside the Uchiha mansion. Naruto could barely make out a tree fort in the background. He moved to the last one.

The two six year olds were fast asleep in their beds that were shoved close together. They faced each other, curled up in their warm blankets.

Naruto squinted to get a better look, the two children in the picture had hooked pinkies as if they promised not to go to sleep without the other.

Sasuke spread himself lengthwise across the bed so his head was near the trunk; he almost laughed "Looks like her mom snuck in on us."

Naruto set the photographs down and turned his attention to the other items. He instantly recognized the leather that his sword was made of. Curious he shuffled through the pile of books, they were all written by members of the Ayanomi clan. He opened one tattered leather bound one. Inside was a complete step-by-step guide on how to make swords and daggers, another explained which metal ores would make what kind of blade and which blade would be good for what situations.

But the thinnest book of all contained the most interesting information. Inside was a very detailed illustration off all the Ayanomi blades ever forged. He recognized Kunatzu and flipped through the pages looking at the beautiful illustrations.

"Sasuke look at this!" he shouted suddenly making the Uchiha jump.

The book was shoved under the raven haired genin's nose, his jaw fell open when he recognized the blade, "Isn't that that Zabuza guy's sword? The Zanpactou?"

Naruto nodded, "I knew I saw that blade somewhere! Inara's clan made it. But I'm wondering how Zabuza got a hold of it."

Sasuke shrugged, "Stole it most likely. Only nobles could afford to buy one of those things, as we found out on our last mission. One of her relatives probably brought it with to sell and Zabuza jumped them."

The blonde shrugged, he could picture the big man doing such a thing.

**A Few Hours Later…**

The gentle chiming of a bell made Ino look up from her project, silently she set down the pair of scissors she was using to prune a small plant. She emerged from the back room with a sunny smile on her face, "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. How may help you?"

Sasuke turned away from the oddly colored flower that he had been staring at.

Ino's eyes widened with surprise, her cheeks began to blush, "S-Sasuke! W-What're you doing here?" she tugged at her apron absent mindedly.

The Uchiha's eyes wandered around the tiny shop, "I'm looking for certain color of rose."

"Then you've come to the right place," the blonde kunoichi lifted and edge of the counter so it became a doorway, "We have plenty of rose breeds in the back, if you'll just follow me."

Sasuke hesitated, but followed reluctantly.

Ino led him through the greenhouse that was filled with all sorts of odd looking plants. He was able to recognize a few but most were unfamiliar. They came up to a large glass door. The kunoichi rummaged through her apron for a few moments before producing a plastic card. Swiftly she ran it through the scanner on the wall, there was a buzzing noise and she opened the door, "Here we are."

"What's with all the security?" Sasuke asked, glancing around the large glass room.

The girl shrugged, "It's for the sake of the roses. They're very picky about their environment. For instance this room is exactly 10.58 degrees warmer than our main greenhouse with 60 percent humidity."

The Uchiha tugged at the collar of his shirt, "I can tell."

Ino took a small pair of scissors from her apron pocket and began cutting dead leaves off the bushes, "Well take a look around. If you find what you're looking for just give me a holler."

Sasuke walked the perimeter of the conservatory slowly looking each breed of rose over carefully.

Red, yellow, burgundy, pink, white, orange and red striped roses all grew on their trellises. Every once in awhile he'd stop and smell one but none were what he was looking for, "Ino?"

The blonde stopped her work and joined her classmate, "Did you find what you're looking for?"

Sasuke shook his head, "Do you have any black ones?"

The kunoichi shot him an odd look, "Black? I'm afraid all we have is here in this room."

The Uchiha sighed, "Oh alright then," he turned to leave when Ino caught his arm.

"Wait!" she sighed, "Look I don't normally do this but…since it's for Inara…yes I know it's for the funeral later today…I can paint one for you."

Sasuke removed her hand from his arm, "Thank you Ino." He reached out and picked a wine-red rose from its bush, "This one will work perfectly," he handed it to her and exited the conservatory.

Ino was frozen in place, her heart racing. She shuddered and slumped to the floor. Blinking a few times to clear her head, she held up the rose that Sasuke had picked, _Well that's weird…why would he choose one that's only half open? _

Sasuke waited in the main part of the store, a large bundle of white chrysanthemums caught his attention, _so the Yamanaka's are providing the flowers for the funeral huh? _He picked one up and twirled it in his fingers. The snowy white flower reminded him of Inara's white hair.

A gentle breeze carried a slight breath of cedar through the air. Sasuke closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When he opened them again he half expected Inara to be standing there. When she wasn't, his heart fell; _she's not coming back…stop looking for her. _He told himself.

Ino returned from the back room, the freshly painted rose in her hand, "Here you go, watch out for the thorns," she handed the flower to the Uchiha who took it and handed her the money.

The kunoichi put it in the cash register as the raven haired genin headed for the door, "Sasuke I'll see you later right?"

He stopped and looked back, "Yeah…later." The bell chimed when he opened the door and headed for home.

Mrs. Yamanaka called from the upstairs, "Ino don't forget to bring those chrysanthemums to the memorial stone before you leave!"

"I won't Mom!"

**Unknown Location…Somewhere in the Land of Fire…**

The sun shone high in the sky; its rays beat down mercilessly. The animals had long since retreated into the shade where it was a few degrees cooler. Not a breeze ruffled the leaves to dry the sweat on one's body.

A young man, around 21 or so stumbled down an unbeaten path; on his back he carried a young girl, about 13 years old. She slept soundly despite the heat but her face was tight with pain.

Suddenly the man tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, exhausted. The girl landed not far from him but didn't move. Slowly he pulled himself over to her, making sure she was unharmed. When he was convinced that she was alright he rolled over on to his back and starred up at the sky.

_Damn this heat, it never bothered me before in my other form. _He held up his hand and flexed his fingers, _I hate this…I hate…being human. My powers are gone, my wings…gone. I'm useless as a demon. I can't even protect the one I care for most. _His hand fell to the dust. His ice blue eyes closed as blackness enveloped his senses.

It wasn't long before two women traveled down that same road. The one with black hair spotted them first, "Lady Tsunade look!"

The blonde turned to see the man and girl sprawled out in the middle of the road, "Well, well, well what do we have here?" she knelt down to check the male while the black haired woman did the same to the girl.

She checked his pulse, it was faint, and his breathing was labored. Tsunade lifted one of his eye lids; the eye itself was rolled up in its socket. She pinched a bit of skin between her thumb and forefinger. It took a few minutes for it to lie back down.

"They're suffering from sever dehydration, poor kids. C'mon Shizune we can't leave them here to die."

"But Lady Tsunade you can't possibly carry him," she nodded to the man.

The blonde picked up the unconscious man easily and shifted him on to her back, "Shizune what did I tell you about underestimating me? Besides he's light for his size, must not be eating correctly."

Shizune picked up the girl in her arms, the small pig that she had been carrying before followed obediently, "Poor little thing, do you think they're related?"

"I don't know, what's the condition on the girl?"

"Well on the surface, sever dehydration, major lacerations on the abdomen that have half healed, some broken bones in the left arm and her eyes are severely damaged by glass and splinters. She'll need surgery that's for sure."

Tsunade was silent for a few minutes, "Right…I'll leave it to you then."

Shizune was astonished, "But…but my Lady-"

"Don't argue with me Shizune, you're qualified enough. Now come on, I need to get out of this heat."

**Konoha…Early Evening… **

Naruto and Kakashi were some of the first arrivals at the memorial stone for the funeral honoring the Hokage and the other fallen ninja that had died for their country. Pictures of the deceased sat on a long table shrouded by a white drape. White rose petals were arranged by the wind or passing fingers.

Naruto stopped in front of the Hokage's picture first, "So the old man's gone too huh?" he said in a quiet voice. He moved on to his teammate's picture, in it Inara glared and smirked at the camera, "Yeesh, she was a female version of Sasuke!" A thin arm snaked around his own.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto…It mustt be hard…losing a teammate," Hinata sniffed, tears streamed down her cheeks. In the few short weeks that Inara had trained her, she had become attached to the headstrong kunoichi, "She was so brave to face Orochimaru like that. I wish I had the kind of courage."

"But you do Hinata," the blonde argued, "You have your own strengths just like Inara did. Like…your gentle fist technique and your calming voice. I swear no one could stay mad while you talked."

The Hyuga blushed and pushed her fingers together, "Y-you think so?"

Naruto wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I know so. I don't know if you noticed it but even Inara was calmer whenever you were around…you just have that affect on people. It's a natural gift."

The funeral started a half hour later once the sun had begun to set, the council elder recited the eulogy in monotone making many of the attendants wish they were the dead one just so they could escape this form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Hinata all stood together along with Kiba, Shino and Kurenai. Sasuke stood alone; he didn't want anyone feeling sorry for him or near him. He had decided that he would shield his heart once again from the outside world. He would put up that barrier that Inara had snuck past when they were placed on the same squad. But not anymore…never again would he be caught off guard.

_I guess the Uchiha clan was never meant to be restored…_He thought to himself. Any plans of there being another generation of Uchiha had died along with the Ayanomi. He winced with the thorns on the rose cut through the skin. His blood ran up the stem and stained the tips of the petals crimson. Like everyone before and after him, he laid the white chrysanthemum on the pile that had been started. Next to it he set the blood stained black rose, "This is my final farewell Inara…goodbye." Silently he turned on his heel and returned to the crowd.

**Somewhere in the Land of Fire…Three Hours Prior… **

"Alright, I've done all I can for him. Now he just needs to rest," said Tsunade sitting back on her heels, "We'll need to refill the canteens at the next river crossing."

Shizune looked up from tending to the girl, "You mean he drank it all?!"

"Don't be stupid Shizune, he only took half. There's still some left for the girl. I tried to offer him more but he refused. Now let's go over the debriefing for the girl." The Sanin carefully opened one of the girl's eyes, "Hm…First I want you to clean all the shrapnel out of the cornea, iris, and pupil. If there's any further damage than that she'll be blind for the rest of her life. Second, try to heal all the capillaries and take care of any damaged nerves. When you've completed the surgery, set the broken arm and heal the lacerations. But be sure to check for brain trauma and internal bleeding. This girl is barely clinging to life as it is and I don't want to see her die at such a young age."

Shizune nodded, "Yes Lady Tsunade, you have my word. I'll do every thing in my power to make sure she lives, the man as well."

"Spoken like a true medic. They're your patients now; I'm going to stop into town while you perform the operation."

"But-but Lady Tsunade…Why?"

"Have you seen the cloths these two are wearing? The girl's have naked and the man's are at least two sized to large! It'll be nice for them to wake up to a fresh change of clothes."

**Konoha…Night…**

The funeral had ended and everyone has retired for the night except for a few mourners who felt that they should stay a little longer, but eventually they too left the memorial stone leaving Sasuke alone.

The moon rose full that night, the stars twinkled down on the Earth un-phased and uncaring. The raven haired genin's eyes began to feel heavy. It wasn't much longer when he caught himself nodding off. He shook his head to wake himself up, _I guess I better get home…I've got a lot of training to do—starting tomorrow. _

He walked down the empty streets thinking about all that had happened in the past few hours, but the strange thing was…he didn't feel sad. He thought of Garyuu at home in his room waiting for the chance to be soaked in crimson blood.

_She's still with me…in a way. _

The sound of running footsteps made him stop. Who, besides himself, would be crazy enough to be wandering around at this time of night?

"Sasuke wait up!" shouted Sakura.

The Uchiha immediately recognized the kunoichi's voice and was quickly irritated by it.

"Whew, thank goodness you stopped."

"What do you want Sakura. It's late and I'm tired." Sasuke said coldly.

The kunoichi felt her face grow warm in a blush, absent mindedly she twirled a lock of her hair around her index finger, "I-I was um just wondering…I didn't see any tears in your eyes at the funeral. I guess Inara didn't mean as much to you as I thought."

Sasuke glared at her, "Your wrong…she meant the world to me, but how can I cry when I have no more tears to shed?"

Sakura's eyes gazed at the dirt under her feet, "Oh…I ...I guess that makes sense but I was wondering…what are you going to do now?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "That's none of you business. Now if that's all you wanted to bother me for--"

"WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?!" the Haruno suddenly blurted out.

The Uchiha felt his temper skyrocket, "No," he hissed, and turned on his heel to leave.

"Wait!" Sakura lunged forward and caught his arm.

Sasuke felt her hand and spun around, the back of his hand connected with the side of her face, knocking her to the ground.

Tears rimmed the bottom of the kunoichi's eyes before spilling down her cheeks, "Sasuke…why? I can make you happy too!"

The Uchiha grasped a fistful of pink hair and roughly tugged it up so Sakura was forced to look him in the eye. He knelt down in front of her, "No, you can't," he said coolly, "From here on out…I go on alone."

"Why are you so hung up on her?!" Sakura argued, "Don't you see what she's done to you? She's manipulative bitch!" the kunoichi found her self skidding backward a few feet before rolling to a stop. Her chest throbbed painfully where Sasuke had kicked her.

"What the hell do you know?" the raven haired genin hissed, "You're too blinded by your emotions to care about how others feel. I think you're jealous of Inara because even in death I still favor her over you."

"B-but Sasuke I-"

"Enough! I'm going home. I suggest you do the same." With that Sasuke disappeared into the darkness leaving Sakura to nurse her wounds.

**Small Village…Unknown Location…**

The girl awoke in darkness but she knew it was morning because the sunlight was shining on her face. Every tiny noise was torture. Down the hall a small child was crying, the birds were twittering just outside. Numerous footsteps passed by the room making her edgy. She tried to open her eyes but a stabbing pain torn through them. Frightened now she began to thrash around on the bed she was lying on. Her screams brought the sound of running footsteps.

A large hand rested on her shoulders, "Hatchling! Hatchling calm down!" The voice sounded familiar but it didn't comfort her and she continued to struggle.

"Shizune she's woken up!" shouted the male.

The dark haired women rushed into the room to see the man struggling to hold the young girl down, "Lady Tsunade bring the sedatives!" She crossed the room in two leaping bounds before taking hold of the girl's legs while the man took her arms.

The child struggled but was unable to move with two full grown adults holding her down.

Tsunade entered the room with the syringe filled with a clear liquid.

The girl felt the needle prick her skin then it was removed, a few seconds later her muscles became limp and her restraints were removed, "W-what's happening? Why can't I see? I WANT TO SEE!" she screamed.

Shizune shushed her and stroked her hair to calm her fears, "Ssshhh child, you're luck to be alive. You're eyes have been severely damaged but I was able to save them so you'll see again. But you need to keep those bandages on so they can heal, it'll take a few months."

The girl sniffed and touched her stomach, "My tummy hurts and my arm feels hard."

Tsunade smiled, "You're body is healing itself just be a good girl and it will go quicker okay?"

The child nodded and Shizune and Tsunade left the room after telling the man to keep an eye on her and to call them if anything should happen.

"Lady Tsunade, did you noticed how she talked? Almost like an eight year old but from her physical form she's at least in her early teens."

"Yes I did notice. The trauma of whatever happened to her must have reduced her brain activity to that of a small child. I hope it's only temporary."

"Hatchling, don't scare me like that," scolded the man gently.

The girl jumped, "Who-who are you?" her voice trembled with fear.

The man touched her face gently stroking her cheeks, "I'm your cousin Jask." Lied Kasaki, "We're orphans from the Land of Fire, don't you remember?"

The girl shook her head, "No…"

Jask sighed, "I guess I'll just have to refresh your memory then." Tenderly he picked her up bridal style and cross the room to sit in the armchair, the girl held in his arms, "I'm older than you are by eight years my name is Jask and I'm your cousin. My father was your mother's brother. Your father died in battle fighting for his country before you were born and your mother died while bringing you into this world. My parents took you in and raised you but when I turned sixteen and you were eight…they died from the plague, leaving me to care for you. We've been together every since…traveling and what not."

"But Jask-kun…how did my eyes get hurt?" asked the girl in an innocent voice.

The young man rested the girl's head on his shoulder and rocked her back and forth, "We were attacked by bandits. One of them planted a paper bomb on the tree behind you. I was too late and it went off, damaging your eyes. I'm sorry hatchling…so sorry. I-I couldn't protect you and you almost died…it's my fault."

The girl reached up to touch her 'cousins' face and felt the wetness of tears, "Its okay Jaskie-san. You didn't mean it. I forgive you."

Even if she couldn't see her guardians face she could still feel his features under the sensitive tips of her fingers. He had a narrow-ish face his eyes were set apart at a medium width, his nose arched out gently, his jaw was strong and smooth. His arms were strong, which made her feel safe, his fingers where long, the palms of his hands calloused.

She couldn't identify the color of his hair but she knew it was cut short, maybe only two or three inches at the most. But the things that confused her the most were the longer sections of stiffer hair that crested the middle of his head. She explored one with all her fingers to get a better understanding of it. It arched backward ending in a point and behind it was another, just like the first. They continued along the middle of his head all the way down the top of his neck where they shrunk in size.

Quickly she pulled her hand back and felt one that was bent over in the very front, "Jaskie…why is this one different?"

The man shrugged, "I don't know…I can never get it to stand up like the others. Here feel this," he took her hand and moved it towards the front of his head.

The girl gasped, "Th-they're shorter!

Jask laughed, "Yes, you found a scissors and decided that I needed a haircut in the middle of the night."

The girl heard a hint of laughter in her cousin's voice, "Jaskie-san…What's my name?" She felt the man's emotion suddenly change from happiness to sorrow.

"You don't have you hatchling…you're mother never named you. So I call you hatchling because to me…you as delicate as a newly hatched baby bird."

The girl sighed, "I'm gonna sleep now…okay?"

"Alright…sleep well."

It wasn't long after the girl was dead to the world, happy in her land of dreams.

Jask ran hand through his jet black hair and sighed. He glared at the white spike that refused to stand up straight. Defeated he laid his head back and closed his eyes to doze off for a short while.

A few hours later, Tsunade and Shizune cracked open the door to check on their patients.

"Oh…now that's a cute sight to see," said the Sanin when she saw the girl asleep in her cousin's arms.

Shizune sighed dreamily, "Too bad they're not brother and sister or I'd take a shot at him."

Tsunade gasped, "Shizune! I didn't think you'd sink so low," a hint of teasing amused her apprentice.

"Not to be rude my Lady but how can you pass up a man like that?" she gestured to Kasaki/Jask with her thumb.

The medic laughed, "Easy…by being menopausal."

AN: yawns finally it's done! If you haven't figured it out yet Kasaki just lied to Inara and Inara's lost her memory. Oh yeah and Kasaki is now human, I know that a lot of you didn't quite pick up on that. I apologize to any Sakura fans out there about what I did to her but I don't like her all that much. shudders ohhhhh that rose scene almost seemed Sasuke/Ino-ish which just about scared the crap outta me! Don't worry everyone Sasuke isn't suddenly going to have a change of heart and start liking another girl and no Kasaki is not flirting with Inara and or trying to seduce her, he just being….over protective….in a creepy way. Anyway that being said…I need to get some sleep. Ja'ne everybody.


	25. New Team?

AN: Ugh…I don't wanna write anymore

AN: Ugh…I don't wanna write anymore! cries I received just about the meanest flame ever and the person didn't even read the whole story! They judged it based on the first two chapters (after looking back on them they kinda suck anyway) I had to force myself to sit down and write this next chapter and I know somewhere out there that some people really do enjoy this story so…this is for you I guess. You guys keep me going.

Disclaimer: sigh once again the annoying disclaimer…um…ownership…Naruto…me…noooooo.

**New Team**

**Konoha…Training Area 7…Two Years Later…**

Sasuke landed on his feet with a heavy thud. He blinked a few times to clear away the sudden shock and checked his targets. He glared when only eight of the ten targets had a kunai buried in them dead center. He wrenched the weapons free and corrected the targets that had moved. He stood in the middle of the circle that he had created, one or two kunai held between his fingers. He sighed to calm his nerves and closed his eyes.

It had been two years since the attack on Konoha and a new Hokage had still yet to be named. In the meantime the council of elders served as the country's leaders. The Chunin exams had come and gone four times. Sasuke and Naruto along with their classmates had all passed and a new crop of genin was getting ready for their exams.

An eagle shrieked over head breaking Sasuke's train of thought. Annoyed, he glanced up at the predator. A thin piece of paper wafted down from they sky in front of him. A kunai pinned the parchment to the trunk of the tree.

The Uchiha glared at the paper as he read what it said. He ripped the weapon out if it and held up the paper with two fingers, "Fine I'll go," the paper smoldered in the grass as Sasuke leaped on to Roc's back.

The black eagle took to the sky with shrill screech.

**Hokage Tower…**

Naruto gazed out across the Konoha rooftops lost in thought. Kakashi had only called them together nowadays for missions but the messages were usually yielded by pakkun or some other ninja dog. It had been over two years since the blonde had received a message by bird, _if this is about the anniversary of the Konoha attack I'm not sticking around, _he thought sulking to himself.

Since Inara's death Naruto and Sasuke had grown further apart and their friendship had come to a near screeching halt. Naruto had calmed down a bit and his relationship with Hinata was going well. The couple had gone on a few dates but because they were on separate teams, it was difficult to set up a time for them to meet.

Sasuke had reverted to his former anti-social self. He rarely came out of the Uchiha mansion and when he did he spent all his time training so he'd have to take a few days off just to recover from chakra exhaustion.

Naruto had tried tracking him a few times but the Uchiha had managed to throw him off his trail by setting many traps and false trails. In the end the blonde just gave up and left his teammate alone.

Kakashi had noticed the friction between his students and had tried to fix it by sending them on even more missions. But the plan had started off terribly and eventually fell flat on its face.

The door creaked open and Sasuke strode through, he paused when he saw Naruto seated in one of the chairs, "What are you doing here?"

The blonde shrugged, "Kakashi sensei sent for me same as you." He motioned to the chair a few feet away from him.

Sasuke shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "So…where is sensei anyway?"

Naruto laughed, "You know Kakashi. The day he's on time will be the day all Hell freezes over. So…what have you been up to?"

"Training" said the Uchiha as he leaned up against the wall. It had been a few months since he actually had some down time to just sit around and talk like this. He looked at his teammate. Naruto sure hadn't changed much over the last few years.

The orange jumpsuit had been replaced by a black and dark red one, almost the color of blood. The headband had changed as well; the blonde must have out grown it. Now a black hiate was tied snuggly around his forehead, the ends reached the nape of his neck. The Konoha symbol was almost hidden through the locks of blond hair that fell over it.

"So you and Jiraiya-sama have been busy?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, he's got me working on a new technique similar to the Chidori."

Sasuke snorted, "Whatever, as if a drop-out like you could handle something like that."

The blonde glared at his teammate, he was always doing this now, insulting him just to start a fight. Sasuke had changed dramatically over the last two years but the blonde could tell the he was still suffering and tried his best to keep that in mind whenever Sasuke provoked him.

Black seemed to be the Uchiha's new favorite color, a black shirt similar to his dark blue one covered his chest. Khaki shorts that went below the knee gave way to leg supports and black Nin sandals. His hands were wrapped as well, to about the middle of his forearm. A black leather strip snapped around both arms and around the wrappings. Tan elbow supports kept Sasuke's joints from seizing up from the harsh training he was putting himself through.

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke still carried the Ayanomi sword with him and used it during his training, but the set of hand blades had been reserved for special killings only, more specifically those of Itachi and Orochimaru.

Door creaked open and Kakashi entered the room, "Good morning you two. Sasuke please have a seat."

"You're late again sensei," said the Uchiha crossing the room to find the chair furthest from the Uzumaki.

"I've called you here today to introduce you to someone very special." Said the Jonin, "Sai, you can come in now."

A tall pale youth with jet black hair stepped through the door. He wore a black shirt that only reach to the bottom of his ribs, one sleeve was long while the other was short. His pants only when down to about mid-shin and were somewhat tight fitting. On his back he carried something that looked to be a stick or Bo staff.

"This is Sai, Sai this is Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki."

The blonde raised his hand, "Sensei shouldn't we have another girl on the squad to balance out evenly? I mean an all male squad? I don't think there is one of those. I mean all the other squads have at least one member of the opposite gender."

"That's true Naruto however Sai was the only one we could get a hold of from the ANBU team so we're going to have to deal with it." said the Jonin, "besides with the way you and Sasuke have been acting over the last few years I think it's about time we have some male bonding."

A strange look crossed Sasuke's face.

"Why do I feel gay all of a sudden?" Naruto whispered to himself.

Even if it was a faint whisper, the Uchiha had heard it and moved his chair another three feet away from the blonde.

Kakashi sighed, "You'll have to forgive them Sai. Sasuke's been somewhat anti-social ever since our other squad member died,"

Sasuke glared at him from across the room.

"Oops…anyway if you don't want to get on his bad side, don't do what I just did. Most of the time he just glares but he has thrown a kunai at my head a few times so just watch yourself. Now Naruto on the other hand, his personality is self explanatory. Stay around him long enough and your face will hurt from laughing so much."

The blonde raised his eyebrow, "Very funny sensei, by the way that tutu in your closet was gift from Anko. She asked me to drop it off while you were filing our last report."

A faint smile tugged at the edge of Sasuke's mouth but he quickly smothered it with a cough of annoyance, "Sensei, didn't you say that this…kid…you got him from the ANBU squad? Then why is he joining a squad of Chunin?"

"Hmm…good question Sasuke I'm glad you asked. Sai would you like to tell them?" he looked at his new student expectantly, but the boy just shook his head. Kakashi sighed, "Sai was trained by the head ANBU however his skills are…no offence Sai…lacking and need to be refined. As far as his squad leader sees it, three or more year's reform training and he'll be ready to train a squad of his own."

Sasuke glared at his new teammate, _lucky bastard, with skills like his I'd be outta here by now. More than likely Orochimaru and Itachi would be dead also. Some people get all the luck. _

Naruto jumped off his chair and stood face to face with the pale teen, "I haven't seen you around here before. So I've draw up three conclusions. One: you're at least three years older than us. Two: you're younger than us or three you're not from Konoha." Three fingers were shoved into Sai's face.

Naruto's arm was twisted around roughly and shoved up behind his back, forcing him to bend over at the waist. A foot rested on his head.

Kakashi blinked in surprise, he hadn't even seen Sai move.

The black haired boy pressed down on Naruto's head, "Yes you're right. I'm not from here. I come from a small village about twenty miles southeast of here. I came to Konoha _after_ you and your little girlfriend over there had completed your first mission."

Sasuke stood up so quickly the chair he had been sitting on was knocked back with an impressive amount of force, "What did you say you bastard?!" The Uchiha was a few inches taller than Sai and sturdier built, but the new squad-mate had speed on his side.

"You heard me emo boy. If you ask me I think you and your screw toy are jealous."

Naruto wiggled free from Sai's grasp as he and Sasuke sized each other up.

Kakashi sighed and covered half his face with his hand, "Here we go again."

"C'mon guys let's not to do this we're supposed to be friends." The blonde pleaded.

Sai snorted, "Heh how do you put up with this guy sensei?" he jammed a thumb in Naruto's direction, "His ego's probably bigger than his junk."

"Alright, alright you three calm down. Sai I don't think those were the best first words to say to your new teammates," He looked at his older students, "and you two should have been more accepting. We're a team now just as we were when Inara was with us."

Sasuke glowered at his teacher. Without a word he stomped out the door, slamming it shut so the window panes rattled.

Kakashi sighed, _why do I always get the emotional baggage? _

Naruto threw an arm over Sai's shoulder, "Hey were you staying?"

The teen gave him a wary look but decided that he'd damage nothing more than his pride if he let the blonde know where he lived…which was currently in a hotel room, "Nowhere in particular. I've got a room at Hotel on the other side of town."

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, "We'll swing by, pick up your stuff and you can crash at my place. It's not much but it's better than staying with Sasuke. After that stunt you pulled you'd be lucky if he killed you in your sleep rather then if you were awake."

Sai rolled his eyes as the blonde yammered on and on and on, _great…now I get stuck with the dick-less wonder. I'd rather take my chances with emo boy. _

**Unknown Location…**

Twelve shadows flickered and danced in the torchlight, ranging in height and shape. The cave was dark and damp. Water dripped off the stalactites and fell into a shallow pool creating eerie ripples on the ceiling and in the water. Stalagmites jutted up from the floor some small enough to be broken by a passerby others were thicker than a man's chest. The wet yellow-white stone glistened in the firelight.

"So then we're all agreed. The tailed ones will be trapped in this cave forever for us to use at our disposal."

The other eight shadows nodded.

"Now on to other matters of business, since our ninth member has decided to no longer participate in our organization I will be paying him a short visit to retrieve something from him. This may take anywhere from a few days to a few years, so keep yourselves occupied while I'm gone with your assignments. If by chance you locate one of the tailed ones, well…you know what to do. I hereby adjourn this meeting until further notice."

The torches flickered out and the shadows dispersed casting the cave into utter darkness that the human mind could not imagine unless one has seen it for themselves.

**Somewhere In the Land of Fire…**

"Okay sweetie I'm going to remove the bandages now," Shizune cooed to a black haired girl.

The patient clung to her older cousin as if he was her lifeline.

"Calm down hatchling, once they're removed you'll be able to see again. Isn't that what you want?" Kasaki asked.

The girl shrugged her shoulders, "I-I don't know…what's it like to see?"

Tsunade laughed, "Poor child, she's been blind for two years and she's forgotten how to see already. Take the bandages off Shizune and let the poor girl experience the sunlight."

The blackness gave way to a bright red light. The girl didn't know that she had her eyes closed and what she was seeing was the sunlight hitting the back of she eyelids, "So this is 'to see'? Everything's…." she struggled to find the right word, "Red."

Shizune just about fell over laughing, "No, no honey you need to open your eyes, like this."

The girl felt fingertips gently force her eyelids open, what she saw made her scream out in pain and surprise.

"I-it hurts! My eyes…they're broken!" she screamed squeezing them shut again. She felt the body under her move with laughter, "Try again hatchling, this time much slower. You'll get used to it soon enough."

The girl did as she was told. Her eyes watered from the sunlight but they didn't hurt as badly now. This was the first time she was seeing the world in two whole years.

Two women smiled at her making the girl feel uncomfortable.

The one with black hair stepped forward, "Hi there, I'm Shizune and this," she gestured to the pig she held in her arms, "Is Ton-ton."

The girl starred at her and the pig. Shizune wore a dark purple kimono like dress with a light blue sash. Here hair only went down to the nape of her neck. Her face was thin but friendly enough.

Ton-ton the pig wore a dark blue plastic necklace. The black haired girl wondered if all animals dressed this way. On the pig's back was a maroon vest, "Oink," snorted the pig suddenly.

The girl jumped and clung even closer to her cousin.

Kasaki laughed when she turned to look at him, confused and surprised. Her finger tips had given her the accurate 'visual' of her cousin's features. His face was smooth and thin but muscles rippled just under the surface. His eyes were friendly and a beautiful shade of light blue.

The girl reached up and touched one of the spikes on his head; it bent under the weight of her fingers. One white spike fell into his left eye. The next one in line, a black arched towards the back of his skull but the other two were short…as if something had broken them off. She ran her fingers down the center of his head, brushing the spikes, white, black, white, black, until they ended at the nape of his neck. The rest of his hair was cropped to about an inch and a half in length and was jet black.

He adjusted himself so he was more comfortable with her in his lap.

The girl looked down and saw powerful arms and legs. Kasaki chuckled at his mistress's amazement which averted Inara's attention to his torso.

Curious she quickly lifted the black shirt. Kasaki quickly dragged it back down before she could take in any interesting details. From what she gathered like his arms and legs, his stomach and chest were extremely chiseled.

Tsunade laughed, "From the way she acts you'd think she's never seen a male before eh Jask?"

Kasaki rolled his eyes, "Oh she has, many times. Hatchling! None of that!" he scolded when the girl tried to lift his shirt again.

Tsunade knelt down to Inara's level, "Honey, look at me."

Inara turned head slowly.

The Sanin smiled, "Well I believe you and she are related now Jask. The same jet black hair, the same blue eyes. I swear she's the female version of you."

Kasaki shrugged, "We get that a lot. Some people even go as far as to suggest that I'm her father."

Tsunade laughed, "I can see why. Not many people in Konoha look like you two. This brings me to three important questions. The first being, what's your name sweetie?"

Inara was silent, what was her name? She fought the uncertainty but hit a black wall the made her brain throb painfully, "Hatchling," she whispered finally.

The blonde sighed and shook her head, then turned to Kasaki, "What's her real name?"

The demon shrugged, "Beats me I've always called her hatchling. I used to know a long time ago but…after awhile…Hatchling just stuck." To Kasaki's relief, Tsunade didn't question the odd nickname, _I feel bad about lying to the people who saved our lives like this but…if Orochimaru finds out Inara's alive there's no doubt in my mind that he'll come and finish what he started. It's for her own protection. The fact that Inara's lost her memory only aids my task. _

Tsunade turned back to Inara, "uh…Hatchling…," the nickname felt awkward on her tongue, "Do you know how old you are?"

The black haired girl was silent again then held up eight fingers, "This many," she squeaked.

The Sanin looked to the girl's cousin for help.

"We celebrated her thirteenth birthday two years ago so she's fifteen now. I still can't believe she's already a teenager. What I can't understand is why she's been stuck in the mind set of an eight year old."

Tsunade sat back on her heels, "Well when we found you two you were passed out from exhaustion and extremely dehydrated. Other than that Jask you had a few minor cuts and bruises. But Hatchling however had a broken arm, numerous lacerations and a half healed wound that was beginning to become infected. Further examination revealed that her eyes were severely damaged and the wound on her chest should have killed her. Why it didn't is still a mystery to me because no human has enough chakra to prevent death if it's inevitable.

"The only conclusion I could reach is that something traumatic must have forced her to lose her memory and reduce her brain function to that of an eight year old child, a time in her life when she was the most stable. Which brings me to my third question, where are you two from?"

Kasaki bowed his head, pretending to be ashamed, "We didn't mean to cause trouble…honest we didn't. We've never had a place to call home since my parents died and we've been traveling ever since. We'd stop in one village to find work for myself but hardly anyone needed an extra set of hands. More than often enough we had to steal just to stay alive. I didn't like it but what else could I do? Without money to buy food we had no other choice."

"You're dodging the question," Tsunade scolded, "Where did you come from?"

The demon sighed, "The last village we left was the Village Hidden in the Wasteland. We weren't treated kindly and when we had to eat…well we got caught and that's how Hatchling got hurt." Tears streamed down Kasaki's cheeks to make the act more convincing, "It's my fault…I'm the reason she got hurt. I should have been able to protect her but…I couldn't."

He felt a cool hand rest on his cheek, "Its okay Jaskie-chan." Inara cooed, "I don't hurt anymore see?" she pointed at her stomach, the gash had completely healed and only a white scar remained.

Kasaki hugged the child; _if I can fool my own container…maybe I should get a job as an actor. _

Shizune tapped the demon on the shoulder, he released his hold on Inara as the medic nin mouthed "I'm sorry."

Tsunade stood up straight, "Well that's quite the story but now I'm afraid we must go our separate ways. I wish the both of you good luck."

Shizune's eyes darted from Inara and Kasaki to Tsunade who was walking down the street, "But…but Lady Tsunade! You can't just leave them like this! What if they get into trouble again? Who will save them the next time?"

The blonde stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the pair. Her heart throbbed painfully when Kasaki and Inara were replaced with herself and her younger brother. She shook her head to clear away the image and continued back down the street.

"Wait!" Kasaki called, he didn't like the idea of traveling alone with Inara incase Orochimaru showed up. He knew that this woman had a great amount of hidden power and the best thing to do would to stay with her, "What if you hired me? A couple of ladies traveling alone…it's dangerous. I was a Chunin at my old village so I could protect the both of you while you traveled. It's not like Hatchling and I have anywhere else to go anyway."

The blonde laughed, "Why would I do you that kind of favor? Besides Shizune and I have all the protection we need right now and my payroll can only support the two of us."

"Who said I wanted money as payment?!" Kasaki shouted again before the Sanin could walk away, "Just let us follow along…that will be payment enough and as for food and lodging—Hatchling and I can manage on our own."

"You sure are persistent aren't you?" asked Tsunade, "What make you think you will be of any use to me?"

The man stared at his feet, "The same reason I was kicked out of my home village after my parents died." He rose slowly to his feet, formed a hand sign and concentrated. The rocks around his feet began to move around him in a swirling circle. His eyes snapped open, glowing a brilliant white color. The boulder that he had been sitting on rose in the air and hovered over Tsunade's head. Gently he set it back down.

Next he thrust a hand in the air; a great gale nearly swept the Sanin and Shizune off their feet. His next demonstrations involved fire, ice and water. A bolt of lightning struck a boulder splitting it in half for the final show.

Kasaki collapsed on to his knees breathing heavily. Shizune was at his side almost instantly checking to see if he had injured himself.

Tsunade snorted, "Hm, those were some complicated Jutsus but looks like you've used too much of your chakra."

"Actually my Lady…he hasn't used any! He's physically exhausted, his chakra is untouched."

"What! But that's impossible! No one can manipulate the elements without using chakra!"

Kasaki stumbled to his feet, his strength slowly returned to him, "But I can…the villagers…my friends…feared my abilities and chased me out. I'm the result of an experiment gone horribly wrong. Instead of creating a being with unlimited chakra they created a being that could control the elements at will _without_ using an ounce of chakra. I am truly a freak of nature."

Tsunade smiled, "Alright…you've proven yourself. You and the girl may follow us but on one condition."

"Anything!" Kasaki gasped.

"We get to train you both. I'm only doing this so you two don't go berserk and accidentally kill someone. Jask…you will be trained by Shizune to fight and heal. I'm warning you now it will be painful and difficult but those powers you have must be harnessed before they get out of control."

The man nodded.

"And the girl will be train by me. When your training is complete we will go our separate ways…is that clear?"

"Crystal clear."

**Village Hidden in the Leaves…**

The sun was setting, tuning the sky brilliant shades of pinks, oranges and purples. The birds returned to their nests for the night as the predators of the night began to emerge.

Sasuke stumbled down the empty streets, an empty sake bottle clutched in his hand. Anyone still out on the streets gave him a wide berth. He turned down the dark street and leaned up against a building. Sasuke hurled the sake bottle as far from him as he could without losing his balance and rang the doorbell to the house.

A woman about his age quickly opened the door, "Sasuke! How many times do I have to tell you not to wander the streets when you're in this state?" Ino slung his arm around her shoulder and kicked the door open even further, "Come on let's get you inside."

She seated him on a puffy couch with lots of pillows which the Uchiha quickly shoved to the floor. Ino smelled the liquor on his breath and wrinkled her nose, this wasn't the first time he had come to her like this. She left him on the couch and went to the kitchen, poured a clear liquid into a shallow cup and gave it to Sasuke.

He drank it and choked, the burning pain down his throat clearing his mind from the alcohol induced fog.

Ino sat down in a high backed chair and crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee, "So…do you mind telling me why we went out and got drunk then had the nerve to come here?"

Sasuke hesitated, "We have a new teammate," he finally mumbled.

The Yamanaka sighed, since the day the Uchiha had shown up at the flower store, he had made it a habit of coming to her with questions, seeking her advice. During their sessions that sometimes lasted for hours, Ino's infatuation with him had burned down to nothing more than coals of what used to be a blazing fire.

She sighed, "Sasuke I know you're still upset about…" she hesitated, a sure fire way to make him mad was to mention Inara's name, "What happened, but getting drunk then dumping your problems on me isn't they way to go about dealing with it."

"I know, I know, but you're the only one I feel I can talk to…the only one who truly hears me these days. Naruto…Kakashi sensei…and now this new Sai character, who by the way is a total jackass not to mention an albino….it, just seems like I'm alone in this world that's filled with people."

Ino chuckled, "Wow, you really have let yourself go haven't you?"

"Oh shut up," Sasuke growled.

"Fine, but you want my advice don't you?"

The Uchiha nodded.

"Well here are my thoughts," Ino shifted forward so her face was inches away from Sasuke's "Relax a little. You're training yourself to the extremes everyday and your mind can't take it anymore. You're destroying yourself Sasuke, step back and take things in stride. You'll get used to your new teammate just like you got used to Naruto and Kakashi. These things take time and are no good rushed."

The Uchiha sighed, "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Maybe I'm relying on you too much Ino."

The blonde sat back and laughed, "Yep, if you paid me for these sessions I would've built up a mini fortune by now, then I could afford more than this dump of an apartment."

Sasuke smiled to himself, he remembered the day Ino had moved out of the Yamanaka house when she made Chunin, "Well…that's all I wanted so I guess I'll be going now."

Ino nodded and showed him out; she closed the door and sighed.

"How's your patient?" asked a familiar voice.

"Not good sensei, he was horribly scared by Itachi and losing Inara only tore them back open. Its amazing that he's still sane."

Ibiki stepped out of the shadows, "The human mind is an amazing thing. Certain events can make or break a person and Sasuke…well he's one of those rare few who refuse to shatter."

"Is he going to be okay Ibiki sensei?" asked Ino as she gazed out window.

"It's hard to say, he may heal but his mind will never be what it used to. Not many people can under go the strain of a complete mental transformation."

"I feel bad for him."

"As do I Ino…as do I."

**The Next Morning…**

_Sunlight shone through the forest canopy, Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut to block it out but to no avail. A gentle hand brushed against his cheek startling him. _

_"Sasuke-kun, its time to wake up silly, its past noon," chimed a familiar voice. _

_Black eyes snapped open to see a silver haired Inara smiling down at him. Her golden eyes shone with compassion, a temperate smile lit up her face. _

_"Sasuke come with me, there's some one I want you to meet." Before he could say anything she grabbed his arm and led him to a large clearing surrounded by flowering trees. The roar of the waterfall was quieted by distance, but the Uchiha already knew where they were. It was the same clearing he had taken Inara to on their first date. _

_"I-Inara I…" _

_The kunoichi cut him off, "Mom! We're here!" _

_Sasuke blinked in surprise, __**Isn't her mother dead? **_

_In the middle of the shallow pool stood a slender dark haired woman, her features were young and fair. When she gazed in his direction his jaw almost dropped. She was the older version of Inara! The only differences where hair and eye color. _

_"Inara!" the woman seemingly glided forward and embraced her daughter, "I've missed you so. Oh! Who is this? It couldn't be little Sasuke could it?" _

_The Uchiha jumped, she remembered him? He felt the blood rush to his cheeks by being called 'little' by someone that looked only a few years older than him. _

_Inara's mother rested her hand on his cheek and smiled, "You look just like your mother Sasuke-kun…but you have your father's nose." She kissed his forehead gently, "You were like a son to me Sasuke and now you and Inara have both grown so much. I look forward to seeing what my grandchildren will look like." _

_Inara wrapped her arms around Sasuke, "Mom, you're embarrassing me." She stuck out her bottom lip in a mock frown. _

_Sasuke's heart practically leaped for joy, here she was…standing right next to him! "Inara…I--" _

_A low rumbling cut him off and forced everyone's attention on to the shallow pool. The water was at a rolling boil before the ground split in two, smoke rising up from the crevice. Orochimaru rose out of the pit on the head of a giant summoning snake. _

_"I hate to break up this little reunion but I just hate happy endings." He formed a hand sign with his right hand; both Inara and her mother fell to the ground writhing in pain._

_"Inara!" He shouted, but his calls couldn't reach her ears. _

_He saw her curse marks glowing with white heat and cold fury took control. _

_Orochimaru was laughing as he watched the two women squirm trying to rid themselves of the pain, "You can't help them now Sasuke, they're at my mercy. But don't worry I won't kill them…yet that is. You're the whole reason I came to Konoha in the first place…so I guess that means The Village Hidden in the Leaves was destroyed because of you, the blood of your comrades are on your hands." _

_Sasuke shook with blind fury, "No…it isn't my fault…I'm not responsible…you…you're the one who killed them…you're the one who ordered the attack not me!"_

_"Hmm…if you put it that way I guess you may be right however there is one thing that you ARE responsible for…the death of the person you hold most dear!" With a jerk of his hand, both Inara and her mother went limp, their eyes clouded over. _

_"Oh tsk tsk tsk, see? Now you've gone and done it again." Orochimaru chuckled to himself as Sasuke stood frozen in place, Inara had just been killed right before his eyes and he had done nothing to stop it! _

_"So what are you going to do now Sasuke? Are you going to kill me? Hmph I doubt you could…after all you couldn't even stand up to your own brother. You're a coward Sasuke Uchiha! You depend on others to sacrifice themselves so that you may live, it doesn't even matter if that person was someone close to you. You're no better than your brother and me." _

_Sasuke hit his knees, numb. He was a coward! He ran away from Itachi and then from Orochimaru! He had chased after Gaara instead of staying by Inara's side, he had deserted her! It was his fault that she was dead! _

_Hot tears of guilt ran down his face as sobs shook his body, he was defenseless. If Orochimaru had wanted to kill him, this would be the perfect opportunity. But instead the Sanin just smirked, "My work here is done." _

Sasuke's head shot up from the pillow, cold sweat made his cloths stick to his body uncomfortably. His breaths came in short gasps and took a few minutes to slow. He rubbed his face with his palms trying to convince himself that it was all a dream.

Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall, 5:00…no use in going back to sleep now. His bare feet made no noise on the polished wooden floors as he got out of bed. The thought of eating made him wrinkle his nose with disgust; it had been two days since he had tasted food.

Strapping Garyuu on to his back, the Uchiha swallowed a few soldier pills and headed out the door for his daily training.

**Konoha Forest…**

A lone figure sat in the middle of a small clearing no bigger than ten feet across. At first the object seemed to be just a stump or a bit of rotting log, but if one got closer they would have realized that it was a human.

Sasuke listened to the morning through his mediation; his breathing was slow and regular. He had been doing this every morning for the past two years to build up his chakra stores. The training had helped some, but not as much as he had hoped.

The sun was just starting to peer through the treetops when the Uchiha got to his feet.

Crimson eyes flashed open and hand signs were formed, "_Chidori_" (**One Thousand Birds**) a tree was reduced to splinters when the attack connected. Sasuke cracked his knuckles then set his sights on an ancient walnut.

A gapping hole scared the once magnificent tree, the interior edged burned to ashes by the Jutsu. Sasuke braced himself on his knees, panting for breath.

"Now the real training begins," he closed his eyes and let the curse mark left by Orochimaru crawl over his body.

This is why he made sure no one followed him during his training. If Kakashi or Naruto found out, he would be facing severe consequences. He performed more complicated Jutsus before once again he was exhausted.

Sasuke smirked and drew Garyuu from its sheath; _it's been over a week since I've given it blood, which should mean that any second now--!! _All the air was forced out of the Uchiha's lungs; a burning sensation enveloped his entire body. The curse mark burned fiercely trying to keep control but in the end Garyuu was victorious. Crimson eyes faded to a clouded tan.

Garyuu looked around through Sasuke's eyes, "_Hm, so this is why you've neglected to feed me Sasuke, you want my power to mix with that mark of yours._" A deep chuckle rumbled through Sasuke's chest, "_You've gotten stronger there's no doubt about that but I must ask you…why now do you choose to set me free?" _The spirit that haunted the sword searched through the Chunin's consciousness until it found what it was looking for.

"_I see. Much has happened since I last inhabited you. Very well, I will aid you in your quest. It's the least I could to for the one who forged me._"

Sasuke's eyes returned to their usual Sharingan, with a violent shudder he slumped the ground. Being possessed by such a blood thirsty spirit was energy consuming, not to mention trying to control it so it wouldn't destroy the host's body and everything around it.

He glanced at Garyuu, which was still clenched in his fist. The black leather had turned to a burnt crimson with a black diamond pattern down the middle. The blade itself was of the strongest steel and reflected the sunlight.

Sasuke slowly returned to his feet and gave the sword a few test swings. It sang though the air, an extension of him arm, they were in perfect harmony, _is…is this what Inara meant by the blade accepting my chakra?_ A glimmer of light ran up the length of the claymore as if to answer him.

The bushes rustled behind him, Sasuke spun around expecting an attack but one never came. The forest was dead silent except for the leaves rustling in the breeze. The Uchiha held his pose in case whatever had moved expected him to drop his guard. Minutes passed before he was satisfied that nothing would attack him.

Curious he parted the bushes with his foot. One the ground was a white tuft of fur, shivering in the cool morning air.

"Hm, just an animal,"

The small creature uncurled from its protective ball and peered up at Sasuke with large yellow eyes. He breathed in sharply when he realized it was a small kitten.

"Now what are you doing all the way out here?" he asked the kitten while stroking it with the tip of his finger. The cat mewed weakly showing its red mouth.

_Where did it come from? It's much too young to be away from its mother. _He picked up the small animal, its ribs protruded from its sides with hunger. Sasuke felt sorry for the poor animal but knew it would be pointless to take it in. Without its mother's milk, the kitten would die in a few weeks anyway.

With a long sigh, he set the creature back into the bush, turned and walked away. He stopped mid-step when he remembered the kitten's large golden eyes, they reminded him too much of Inara, "I must be going crazy." Sasuke turned on his heel and scooped the kitten up, holding it against his chest to keep it warm.

**Ino's House…**

Sasuke knocked on Ino's door a few times before she answered; when she did he barged past her. Taking soft blankets and pillows he made a small bed for the kitten then proceeded to the kitchen were he poured some milk into a shallow dish.

"Sasuke what are you doing now?" asked Ino with an irritated tone in her voice, "Look you can't just barge in here and—Oh my!" she saw the kitten curled up in the makeshift bed, "Poor little thing. Where did you find it?"

Sasuke put the milk back and carried the dish over, "While I was out training this morning." He set the bowl in front of the kitten's nose, but it didn't move, "Why won't it eat?"

Ino picked up the feline, "Sasuke it's too little, and it can't lap the milk on its own yet."

The Uchiha was quiet until he dipped the tip of his finger into the milk and held it near the kitten's mouth. The large eyes opened slightly and a small pink tongue lapped the milk.

Ino smiled, "Well it looks like you'll be able to keep it alive after all."

"Me?"

"Yes you silly, my landlord doesn't allow pets so I can't keep it. I fear for what Naruto would do to it and Kakashi is more of a dog person. You're the only hope it has Sasuke."

The raven haired Chunin protested, "But I-" A stern look from the Yamanaka silence him. He sighed in defeat; "Fine…" he continued to feed the kitten until all the milk was gone from the bowl. With a full belly, the small animal curled up in a ball and slept.

"So what are you going to call it?" asked Ino gently petting the kitten's ear.

"…Neecko-chan?"

Ino raised a blonde eyebrow, "You're going to call it cat-chan?"

Sasuke shrugged, "You got any better names? Because I'm sure as hell not calling it Fluffy," he retorted.

AN: and that wraps up this chap. Sorry it took so long but I was at the mercy of teachers, homework, new computer games, and a writers block. I expect no sympathy from you people glares anyway…yes I gave Sasuke a cat. He just seems like a cat person to me. I mean come on! He needs something to ease his pain so what the hell? Why not a cute little kitty?


	26. Akatsuki

AN: I took over a week off from this story and I just about went insane

AN: I took over a week off from this story and I just about went insane. I'll admit it I'm a bad procrastinator…but I've been working on a story that I HOPE will become a book if I can ever find a freaking publisher!! Heh Heh, I lost the original manuscript when my flashdrive was stolen but luckily I had given one of my school friends regular updates so he had most of it. HOWEVER I LOST MY ENTIRE ENDING!! So I'm busy re-writing that. (Not to mention I have an editor bugging me for the un-finished manuscript) If this is what being an author is like then screw it! I'll be a cop instead.

Disclaimer: Just to spite you people who don't know Spanish I'm going to write my disclaimer as such. clears throat Todas las ideas de Naruto y trama las líneas no pertenecen a mí ellos pertenecen a su creador. (Ha ha I'm evil I know it)

**Akatsuki**

**Unknown Location…**

"No! No you can't have i—ahhhhhggg." A usual slick voice screamed in pain as its body was tormented in the worst form of punishment imaginable.

A man with many piercings down the sides of his nose smiled cruelly, "Orochimaru, you know the laws. If a ring bearing member of the Akatsuki is no longer active in the organization, then our law states that the removal of his ring is required, even if I have to take it by force."

A much larger man that looked extraordinarily similar to the first with the piercings walked towards a glass domed jar, inside it was a wrinkled, severed hand.

Orochimaru struggled but the foot on his chest held him in place. Damn that old man! The auburn haired youth wouldn't have had such an easy time of robbing him if he still had the used of his arms! And where was Kabuto when he needed him?!

The man holding the Sanin down chuckled deeply, "Rumor has it that the youngest Uchiha escaped your grasp Orochimaru. Tell me, is this true?"

The snake nin would have smiled if the fear of his former leader hadn't frozen his insides to pure ice, "Unfortunately yes, but the brat had help from Inar—I mean some friends. And you can clearly see what the Hokage did to me."

The auburn haired youth's voice was flat when he said, "Yes," the bigger man took a small ring off the severed hand's pinkie finger and held it out for the one that had Orochimaru pinned to the floor, "Well I've got what I came here for now all that's left is to make sure that you don't follow me to try and get it back." He flew through some quick hand signs before muttering under his breath, "**Kaze no Yaiba**" (Blade of Wind)

Orochimaru's eyes clouded with pain before rolling up into the back of his head. The youth removed his foot from the Sanin's chest, the snake summoner whouldn't be moveing for quiet some time. He looked at the ring in his hand and carefully turned it over with one finger, "It's good to see you again **Kūchin**. (The Void) We'll find a wearer that can bear you proudly next time." He slipped the ring into his pocket, stepped over Orochimaru's still form and showed himself out the door, followed by his resemblances.

**Somewhere in Konoha…Unknown Village…**

"Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up to see one of nature's rarest creatures! A human who manipulates the elements without the use of chakra!" Shizune's voice rang clearly in the early afternoon air.

Busy shoppers paused in the middle of the street to catch a glimpse of a black haired man with white and black spikes running down the center of his head. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with black pants that clung to his hipbones; no doubt he had seen better days. His eyes were closed as if in meditation but he remained standing with one hand held vertically with the other in a fist resting against it.

Shizune drew as many people over to their corner of the village square as she could, "Jask I'd hurry it up if I were you. We're losing some of them!"

Slit, electric blue eyes snapped open making those closest to him jump back in surprise. A gust of wind carrying the colorful fall leaves rushed through the crowed and round Kasaki's arm in an elaborate pattern.

The crowed stared in awe and demanded more. Little did they know that a skinny black haired girl with pale blue eyes was busy picking their pockets for anything of value. Her pure white half shirt only reached the bottom of her ribcage, the sleeves tapered off near the elbow. A hood was attached to the back to add protection from the sun or rain. Her white cargo pants barely fit her small body but they stayed in place with the help of a bit of black twine that was knotted near her bellybutton. The pants had many pockets lining the legs and deeper hip pockets so more things could be stored in them. And finally a pair of black armored boots protected her feet from the loose rocks and sparse grass. They reached the middle of her calf and had to be laced the whole way up, a big inconvenience for the wearer.

An array of rocks and small pebbles floated through the air near Jask's hand but the crowed was beginning to get bored and returned to their shopping. He glanced in Shizune's direction who gave him a frantic look.

"Ladies and Gentlmen!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, "The best we have saved for last! Watch now as Jask single handedly controls a jet of flame with nothing more than his bare hands!"

The passerby's stopped in their tracks, how could they pass something like this up?

It took no more than a spark to begin the show, soon a small stream of flame twisted gracefully in Jask's hand.

The crowd stared in awe while Shizune passed around a collection hat, while Inara had pocketed an expensive looking bracelet.

Jask reached down while still maintaining control over the fire and picked up a bottle that held a solution of alcohol and lighter fluid. He gulped a mouthful, careful not to swallow any for such an amount surely would have killed him, and poised the small flame over his mouth.

Fed by the concoction, the fire grew in size rapidly. The crowd clapped loudly, while beads of sweat started to form on Kasaki's forehead. Never before had he been asked to exert this much concentration on one task. The noise of the crowd wasn't helping either.

Then, a strong gust of wind stirred the wind, picking up dry leaves and other bits of nature. Some people drew their cloaks about them to ward off the cold.

The fire in Jask's hand swept dangerously toward the thatched roofs of the village but stopped short, when a dry leaf passed through the flames and fluttered on to the roof setting it ablaze.

People were screaming now as the fire jumped from roof top to rooftop. Families ran out of their homes clutching children or pets and fled to the river.

Kasaki was stunned, he had lost control…this was a first for him. He hung his head in shame when Shizune shouted something along the line of "Put the fire out you dolt before I skin your sorry hide!"

Thanks to the endless supply of water provided by the river, the fire was put out by Kasaki in less than half an hour, all that remained now were smoldering ruins.

Shizune grasped Inara's hand, cleared her throat and nodded in the direction of the nearby forest. They had best get away while the villagers were distracted. They wouldn't want to be caught once things had died down.

**Later That Evening…**

Jask collapsed onto his hands and knees panting heavily, he was shirtless and sweat glimmered off his body. Shizune was punishing him severely for loosing control in the village that afternoon. Tsunade had caught up with them after the sun began to sink below the horizon.

"You're lucky I can use your services or else I'd kill you here and now!" she hissed when Shizune had explained what had happened.

Jask had apologized over and over again but the two women's fury still smoldered like the embers they had left behind in the village.

They traveled for three days without stopping before they finally stopped to rest somewhere along the Suna boarder. They camped outside the small village in the surrounding forest not wanting to draw attention to themselves if they're reputations had preceded them. Luckily they hadn't and could enter the village the next morning.

Inara and Jask had been doing so well in their performances that Tsunade felt that a reward should be given to them (even if Jask didn't really deserve it after his fire stunt)

"Here you two, we've paid off this month's debts so here's the extra that you earned." She tossed them two bags of coins which they immediately pocketed.

"Don't spend it foolishly." The sanin warned.

Inara and Kasaki wandered into the town unnoticed in the early afternoon bustle of city life. Everywhere people were hurrying from one shop to the next to buy their goods and move on to the next store. They guessed that tourists were a common sight because everyone they encountered ignored them and spared no second glance.

Together they shopped around, both were unsure of what to spend their hard earned coin on, but decided they had better or else be pick-pocketed by Tsunade in their sleep when another debt collector had located them.

Inara's pale blue eyes skimmed over rows of sweets and small hand held toys while Jask followed her like an over protective older brother. The kunoichi finally stopped at a small stand that was apparently selling weapons. Swords, kunai, shuriken, daggers, senbon, and other miscellaneous weapons were polished, sharpened and ready for their deadly purpose.

The squat man behind the counter noticed he had customers and smiled a black tooth grin when he saw Inara.

"Well now, what's a sophisticated lass such as yer self be doing looking at such gruesome tools such as these?" he indicated to his stock with a smooth gesture of his hand.

Jask glared at him through narrowed eyes, the shopkeeper noticed this and quickly changed his persuasion methods, "Can I interest you in a set of kunai or shuriken? Freshly sharpened and ready for use, straight from the land of Wind itself."

Inara shook her head and remained silent, her eyes still skimming over the killing devises. She spotted a pair of arm braces tucked neatly in the corner of the stand. She pointed at them, the shopkeeper followed the direction her finger was pointed and laughed.

"I'm sorry lass but I doubt that yee'd be able to afford those. Hand crafted they are by the leather carvers from the Land of Claw."

The kunoichi blinked at him once and emptied the contents of her purse onto the counter. Coins clinked on the wood; some fell to the merchant's feet.

The short man's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head, he shook himself once and regained his composure, "I'm sorry miss but you're still too short."

Jask rolled his eyes and tossed his coin purse onto the counter on top of Inara's pile of yen.

The storeowner nearly fell over in surprise when the sound of leather hitting metal rang in his ears. The sum of money that now rested in front of him was probably more than he'd ever see in his life again. He thought over the deal carefully. He didn't necessarily want to part with the braces but then again the offer for them was quite generous. He sighed, "Alright, you win." Carefully he lifted them out of their glass container and passed them to Inara whose eyes lit up happily.

Jask nodded once and turned on his heel to follow the over excited teenager.

The merchant scratched his balding head; those two sure were an odd pair.

Kasaki and Inara stopped just outside the village on their way back to camp when Inara sat down on a large boulder and began loosening the black laces that ran up the inside of the braces.

The arm guards were beautifully crafted of pure white deer skin that was engraved with elegant designs. Once put on, the ebony laces were facing the inside of the wearers arm so they couldn't easily be undone, and extra leather was then tucked up inside the brace to keep it from tangling. Five slots on the outer portion of each arm brace suggested that knives could be placed there to use as weapons.

Inara held out her arms for Kasaki to inspect. He turned her limbs over carefully looking for any wrinkles or pinched skin that could mean pain if left for too long. He found none, "I think that was money well spent. A little too much but well spent in the end."

Inara smiled, "Thank you Jaskie-chan for helping me buy them."

The demon nodded, he didn't need anything humans could craft anyway as long as he had food and I warm place to sleep at night, "My only question is how they work."

Inara flexed her arms, nothing happened, she flicked her wrists hoping that the hidden blades would whip out, but they didn't. Over half an hour of fruitless labor left the kunoichi feeling frustrated, "Stupid shopkeeper ripped us off!" she shouted loudly, punching at a tree. No sooner had her fist closed did the blades burst out of the arm braces, each a half a foot long and razor sharp. Inara blinked in shock and opened her hand, the blades slipped back inside their invisible sheaths.

"Well I believe we just figured them out," said Jask leaning against a tree, "what happens if you only close your hand half way?"

Inara tried it, the blades only emerged halfway.

Kasaki laughed to himself, "Well now we know why those were so expensive. They respond to the expanding of the wielders forearm muscles, not an easy craft to perfect. The maker sure knew what they were doing."

Inara treasured her new weapons and kept them in the best condition possible. She never killed anything with them but never ceased to take time to mar the bark of an innocent tree for practice.

Tsunade greatly approved of the weapon choice because they could easily be hidden under a cloak and the simple tightening the fist would mean the end of any attacker. She trained Inara under these conditions while Shizune worked with Kasaki on chakra control so he could support a large amount of it for longer periods of time.

One day while Tsunade were in the nearby village dealing with debtors, Inara and Kasaki took turns keeping watch over the campsite incase any bandits showed up.

The kunoichi was about half way done with her shift when a rustling of the bushes caught her attention. Instinctively she clenched her fists, forcing the blades in her arm braces to extend to their full length.

Two men emerged from the foliage, "We'll stop in the next village and rest there for the night. I don't want to have to sleep on the ground…again," said the shorter of the two. From what Inara could see he had jet black hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck, which allowed his bangs to frame half of his face. Black eyes glanced at her once then stared straight ahead as if he hadn't even noticed her. He had a stern look on his face that sent shivers down Inara's spine, this person was dangerous, why, she didn't know.

He wore a red ring on the ring finger of his right hand. His companion was much taller and had a grayish-blue tint to his skin. When he turned to acknowledge Inara, she fought the urge to gasp.

He had six deep scars; three on each side of his face just under his eyes, his teeth were pointed. His eyes were small and beady like. A giant sword was slung on his back and was wrapped in white cloth. Both wore matching back robes with red clouds on them and both wore a headband that had a slash through the village symbol. Broad whicker hats rested on their backs, off of them hung streamers of dull colors and tiny bells that jingled quietly.

"So what do we do about that?" asked the taller man, nodding in the kunoichi's direction.

The hairs on the back of Inara's neck shot up, a shiver of fear raced up her spine, covering her arms with goosebumps. Her mouth went dry; she tried to swallow but only succeeded in nearly gagging herself. Her pulse skyrocketed and her knees threatened to give out from underneath her.

The black haired one looked at her for a few moments. Inara was frozen under his gaze like a deer in a car's headlights. The man finally averted his eyes from her, pulling the broad hat over his hat, "Leave her, she won't do any harm. She doesn't even know who we are."

"So you're not going to use those eyes of yours to erase her memories?" the shark like man asked.

The shorter one glared at him, "How much information are you going to blurt out of your trap? Now I have to kill the girl because you couldn't shut up."

The kunoichi blinked and the man was behind her, she felt cold steel on her throat.

"I originally intended for you to live but it seems that a certain _someone_ let too much information slip. So now I have to make you, the only witness, disappear…goodbye, whoever you are."

A haze of black shot out of the underbrush, knocking the blue skinned man to the ground. The two rolled a few feet before coming to an abrupt stop.

"What the hel-" a blow to the head stilled the shark man's tongue.

Jask glared menacingly through ice blue slit eyes, his teeth barred. A rumbling sound that could have passed as a growl emitted from deep within his chest, "Let the girl go or I kill your companion." He spat.

The man who held Inara captive raised a black eyebrow, "Kisame how did he manage to catch you?"

The blue man struggled slightly, testing Jask's strength, "Hell if I know! He just came out of nowhere!"

The black haired man glared at Jask, "And you, how do you plan on killing him if you have no weapon?" he shifted the kunai at Inara's throat.

Jask ran his tongue over his pearly white teeth and rested them near the blue skinned man's jugular.

A feint hint of a smile flickered across the shorter man's features, "It seems we've hit a dilemma doesn't it? You won't set my companion free because the second you do, you fear the death of your own friend, the same goes for me. So what do you propose we do stranger?"

Kasaki pushed a little chakra to his fingernails so they would grow quicker, when they reached a half inch in length, he removed his teeth from Kisame's neck and pinned him there with his new claws, "We release them at the same time, no tricks! Or I can kill this one before he takes two steps."

The black haired man almost laughed, "I doubt that, but yes, we'll release them at the same time 3…2…1…" he shoved Inara forward as Jask leaped away from Kisame and caught her before she was impaled on a tree branch.

Kisame stumbled forward and almost fell when the black haired man caught his elbow without taking his eyes off Inara and Jask.

"I'll kill that bastard!" the shark man roared drawing his sword.

"Kisame enough. You're being foolish…again. Use your brain for once and think this over carefully. Anyone with the skill to catch you off guard is obviously someone who could be of use to us."

Kisame glared at the ground, "Not if I chop off his legs he won't" he mumbled under his breath.

The black haired man watched with growing curiosity as Jask checked Inara over for any sign of damage, prodding her arms and legs for broken bones or torn skin. The girl didn't object and stood shaking uncontrollably.

A hint of black on the girl's flesh confirmed the shorter man's hunch, they had found their target. He inwardly shuddered with formalities but the situation offered no other way proper introduction without the rise of suspicion. Not that he and Kisame could be trusted anyway but they needed the girl to join them if she was who he thought he was.

"I apologize for my actions. You see we can't afford anyone knowing about us at the moment." Itachi spoke carefully, he wasn't willing to give up too much information incase the target refused.

Jask glared at him, "Look I don't care who you are or what you're doing here but leave us out of it! My cousin and I have had more than our fair share of hardships lately and you two don't exactly rub me as the charitable sort."

Kisame leaned up against a tree, why was Itachi hanging around? "Heh heh, smart one he is. We're not exactly they type you'd want to trust anyway if you wanted your head to stay above your shoulders." His traveling companion glared at him and he fell silent.

Itachi looked Inara over carefully; _she couldn't be more than sixteen years old. Within the same age range as the target but she has no evidence of what village she's from. She could be the wrong person entirely. But then again, if she possesses a demon she's no doubt heard of the Akasuki and may have changed her appearance to try and fool us. If we don't bring her and she's the right one, Pein will have our heads. However if she's the wrong one…well nothing a well placed kunai won't fix. It's actually her companion I'm more concerned about. _

He shifted his gaze from Inara, to Jask who was keeping a hawk's eye on him and Kisame. _For someone with enough skill to attack Kisame without revealing themselves is quite a feat. He could be useful…or a pain. If he's a ninja from another village things will get sticky real quick. But he's not wearing a headband…a rogue maybe? No…rouges don't bring their family with them when they fly. Who ever he is, its clear the girl won't go anywhere without him. I hate these scenarios. _

Inara had stopped quivering in fear long enough to realized that she wasn't in any immediate danger. She looked from Kisame to Jask to Itachi and back to Jask then back to Kisame and then finally rested her eyes on Itachi. He reminded her of someone, but couldn't put her finger on who it was. The only people she currently knew about were Jask, Lady Tsunade, Shizune and Tonton the pig. So how could she know this black haired man standing before her? She had never met him before…as far as she could remember but the feeling didn't go away, "W-who are you?" she whispered.

Itachi turned his head to look/glare at the kunoichi, "I can't tell you that."

"Then…what are you doing here?"

Kisame shifted his weight from one foot to another, "We're looking for someone, someone special."

"Why?" Inara asked, tilting her head to one side.

Itachi caught on to Kisame's plan, "Because we want them to join a special club of ours, a club that only special people can be in."

Inara's eyes light up with hope, "C-can I be in your club? And Jask-chan too?"

"Hm," Kisame rubbed his chin as if he was thinking the question over carefully, "Do you have any special powers or…markings?"

The girl hung her head, "Um…no…"

Itachi shrugged, "Than I'm sorry but we can't take you. You're friend however…he would be a nice member to have among our ranks."

Inara's face flushed red with angr, "What! But…but I'm good at fighting! Lady Tsunade said I was a natural. That must at least count for something!"

Kasaki rested his hand on Inara's shoulder, "Relax Hatchling, I would never abandon you, you know that. Come on it's time we left." He nudged Inara back towards the camp when Itachi and Kisame barred their path.

"I'm sorry but we cannot permit you to just wander away…after all I believe that girl is our target weather she knows it or not," muttered Itachi.

Kasaki growled deep in his chest, "Unless you two are convicted sex offenders, she's not the one you're looking for. So I suggest you back off before I get irritated."

Kisame smirked, "That's sounds like a threat Itachi, what do you say? You nab the girl while I dispatch of this oaf?"

"Easy Kisame, if we could get both of them alive that would prove to be more fruitful. But yes, by all means do test him…tire him out so he will come without a fuss."

"Heh heh heh, it would be my pleasure…this better be interesting or I might just kill him for the hell of it," said the shark man hefting a strange weapon off his back. It was almost as tall as he was and wrapped in cloth from tip to pommel. Across, it was roughly a foot and a half wide and had no crossbar.

Kasaki shoved Inara back behind him and stood defiantly in front of her incase one of them decided to lunge, "You come anywhere near me and I'll rip your head off!" he hissed, making sure to show his sharp teeth. The demon pumped as much chakra as he could to his fingernails, making them grow into long, deadly claws with which he could slash through muscle and flesh.

Itachi leaned up against a tree. This would all be over in a matter of minutes.

Kasaki and Kisame circled each other. The demon growled viciously, already he could feel his mouth beginning to fill with saliva as it anticipated the taste of warm flesh and blood. He may look human, but Kasaki was still one hundred percent pure dragon. He snapped his jaws together, resulting in a loud crack. The sound pleased him as it would soon mimic the sound of breaking bones.

Kisame smirked as he watched Kasaki move lithely across the ground. He was going to be fast, that's for sure, so Kisame would have to be faster. He and his sword had been well known and feared within Mist country before joining the Akatsuki. Now, he alone was the swordsman of the organization. Sure everyone had their strong points but only he had mastered the sword. The others used puppets, clay dolls, clones, or other means of Jutsu.

A large ball of flame sped in Kisame's direction, but he easily dodged it. What troubled him was that he hadn't seen any hand signs.

_What?! But that's impossible! _"**Suiton: Bakusui Shōha**!" (_Water Release: Exploding Shock Wave)_ A strong jet of water dug a trench in the ground as it rushed towards Jask, "Heh I don't think so hydro-freak! **Doton: Doroku Gaeshi**!" (Earth Release: Earth Shore Return) No sooner had Jask's hands touched the ground, an enormous wall of solid rock rose from it, shielding him from the high powered water attack.

"Who said _I_ was aiming for you?" said the clone melted into a puddle of water.

Kasaki scanned the area searching for his opponent, _damn it! Son of a bitch is good! Okay okay calm down I'll be able to sense his chakra signature if I let me guard down. _Slowly the barriers Kasaki had placed around himself began to weaken, making him more sensitive to foreign sensations.

He felt hunger from a deer not to far off, fear from a hiding rabbit and anger from a soaring eagle when it was forced to return to its nest without dinner. The emotions of insects were too primitive to distinguish so he passed them over. Then, from somewhere off to his right he sensed a strong blood lust. Kasaki drew a kunai within a hair's breath of loosing his head to the giant sword.

Neither Kisame nor Jask gave an inch, one would push trying to knock the other off balance and the other would push harder. Their forearms began to quake with protest.

Kasaki dodged to the side, letting Kisame fall forward and giving him an opening, but it came at a price. When the demon had dodged he had to scrape himself quiet close to the swords 'blade' with resulted in the shredding of the back of his shirt. He touched the wound, only the shirt had been shredded but he couldn't help feeling that something else was amiss.

Kisame felt a pair of claws rack across his back, snagging his robe before being roughly pulled back. He smelled blood but not all of which was his own. Stained white cloth fell to the ground when the wrappings fell to the ground. What they revealed was a blade made completely of what looked to be shark scales or teeth, "Do you like it boy?" he said, referring to Jask, "Samehada here is a very special sword, not only does she cut her victims to ribbons but she also absorbs their chakra, leaving them as helpless as a new born babe."

Kasaki inspected his back, as he suspected it was torn to shreds, "Yeah I kind of figured that, no need to tell me twice. As for the chakra absorption…I thought something was fishy."

Kisame glared at his opponent, "Like I haven't heard that one before," he charged again, Samehada high above his head.

Jask hit the ground and rolled, throwing a leg out to trip the charging man. Kisame tripped and his sword went flying. In an instant it was in Kasaki's hands, "Ha! This is exactly why I prefer to use weapons that no one can take from you!"

Kisame smirked, and closed his fist.

Jask yelped in pain with sharp thorns burst out of the hilt of the sword and buried themselves in his palms. The sword fell to the dirt with a heavy thud. Slowly the thorns receded back into the hilt.

"H-how'd you do that?" Jask stammered, his fists clenched to stop the bleeding.

Kisame got to his feet, "Samehada allows no one to wield her but me." He made a face, "Ugh look what you've done! Your filthy blood has stained her."

Jask shook with rage, "Filthy blood?! We'll see how clean your blood is when I spill it in the dirt!"

Kisame shifted his weight back to avoid inch long nail/claws from raking across his face, but this left him open for a lower attack. He flew back a few feet when Jask crouched down and lashed out with his feet, knocking the wind out of Kisame.

The Akatsuki hit a tree with dull thud and shook his head to clear away any dizziness that might set in a few moments later. His sword was beginning to feel heavy in his right hand when Kasaki rushed in for more attacks. Kisame was able to block most of them but still sustained a few minor cuts or soon-to-be bruises.

_Alright, hand to hand combat clearly isn't working I'll just ware out his chakra stores instead. _Kisame waited until Jask had come within three feet of him before he let his jutsu fly, "**Suiton: Bakusui Shōha**!" (_Water Release: Exploding Shock Wave)_

Kasaki was hit full force and was blasted back a few hundred yards before he managed to grab onto a tree limb. The jet of water passed before his held breath ran out and was left dangling by one arm from the tree roughly twenty-five feet in the air. A groaning sound made his stomach feel as if it were filled with lead. A loud crack resounded through the forest air, followed by a dull thud.

Jask hissed in pain when he placed his right arm on the ground. He glanced at it and saw a deep indent in this skin…the bone had been shattered, _dammit! That means no more jutsu's from here on out…If I could just get behind him long enough I should be able to hit a pressure point and knock him out before he manages to kill me. As for the other…_he glanced in Itachi's direction, the black haired Akatsuki didn't seem to be holding any interest in the fight, _We should be able to make it out of here alive if he doesn't step in. _

Kisame was laughing as he approached Jask, "Hey, you're not finished yet are you boy? I'm just starting to have fun!" Samehada buried itself in the dirt where Kasaki had been lying a few moments before. The dust cleared and Kisame saw that he had missed, but only by factions of an inch.

Jack arched his back and kicked up, catching Kisame in the jaw and pushing himself to a crouch in the same motion. From there he prowled on all fours, despite his broken arm. . A deep hissing sound escaped his mouth.

Kisame cracked his jaw back into place with a quick jerk, "That hurt you little whelp!" he raised his sword to strike again, Kasaki crouched ready to spring towards him when Itachi slid between them, "That is enough….Kisame. He's proven himself worthy."

The swordsman had a look of disgust on his face, "What! How can you possibly pass judgment on him? Shouldn't that be up to me, his tester?"

The Uchiha had a bored look in his eyes, "Yes, but under the circumstances you'd have killed him before you even thought of passing him. So therefore I did the deed for you."

Kisame glared and rested Samehada on his back, "No good will come of this I tell you Itachi."

Inara ran to Kasaki's side, her face filled with worry and fear, "Jask-chan! Are you okay? Ah, your arm is hurt!"

The demon smiled, "Don't worry about it Hatchling it will be fine as long as the bone doesn't pierce through the skin."

Inara shook her head, "No no no, let me heal you! Lady Tsunade taught me how." Gently she rested her hands on the broken arm, her palms glowing green. She could feel the break, it was bad. The fibula was hanging on by barely a splinter and if it wasn't healed soon, the marrow would leak into Kasaki's bloodstream and eventually kill him. Drawing a fairly large amount of charka, Inara managed to knit the shattered bone back together, with Kasaki's help of course. Blue eyes flickered open, "There, owie be gone!" she smiled.

Jask grinned and tested the newly healed arm, "Wow…your training's improved. I'm impressed." Whispers of debate caught the demon's attention…it was Itachi and Kisame again.

"Look we don't have a healer in the Akatsuki so the girl could be useful for the time being and if not we can get rid of her then, but until we can get back to headquarters it would be a good idea to have them travel with us," argued Itachi.

"But Zetsu already is sort of the medical nin. Don't you think he'd be mad if he finds out some scrawny brat's replaced him?"

"Hardly, Zetsu knows little of the human anatomy. His expertise goes no further than what types of plants would be good to poison certain beings. Now this girl on the other hand…she's the real thing. And for her to be able to heal a shattered bone in that short about of time defiantly makes her an asset. Her partner as well, I monitored both your chakra levels during your battle and he used a scarce amount if hardly any. Had I let the battle continue _you_ would have run out of chakra before him, and you have a massive store yourself."

Kisame leaned up against a tree, "So what do you propose we do?"

Itachi glanced in Inara and Kasaki's direction, "We bring them with. The man has already passed his test but its not him we initially want…it's the girl. If my sources are correct she's the container for the seven tail dragon demon."

"I take it we'll be testing her later then?"

The Uchiha nodded.

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AN: stretches oh man this took waaaaay too long. Sorry about that heh heh well it's me you guys are proabably used to it by now anyway. So its now time for speical events in my personal life….Item number one…I'm testing for my green belt June 20th so wish me luck but the more exciting thing is..MY HORSE IS HAVING A BABY IN 2 WEEKS! screams So I need your people's help….I need more names desprately. The mother is a buckskin Quarter Horse and the father is a white Arabian. I need both boy and girl names and try to keep them sounding Arabic my moms orders or Japanese PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE DEFINITIONS OF THE NAME IF ONE IS OFFERED! but any summissions will be greatly appreciated. Please submit all names before the first week of June because that's when it's do to be born. I'll announce the winning name and the person who submitted it in my next chapter. submit names via review or personal message REVEIW DAMMIT!


	27. Thread of Time

AN: Well it's currently 4:30 am and I'm writing…yeah I can't sleep…again

AN: Well it's currently 4:30 am and I'm writing…yeah I can't sleep…again. It seems like I get all my best ideas around 5:00 in the morning! sigh why me? Anyways schools out so I'll be updating a lot quicker now that I don't have a life anymore. And please people lets not have a repeat of last year where hardly any of you read or comment, okay? I know I harp on you guys a lot but remember it's you guys who keep me going when things get tough. Anyway that's all I have to say now ON WITH THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I, Anbu Warrior, do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form…thank you for your cooperation.

**Thread of Time **

**Meanwhile….back in Konoha…**

There was a loud knocking on the door to Sasuke's house, loud enough that if the Uchiha had been sleeping, he would have woken up. However he was not, so no one answered the caller. The knock came again, this time accompanied by a voice, "Sasuke you there? Open up!" It was Naruto. He slammed his fist against the door this time, "Come on Sasuke we're gonna be late!"

The blonde paced outside the door, his hands behind his back as he waited for a response from his hotheaded teammate…one didn't come. Muttering curses under his breath Naruto tested the handle of the door, it was open. Naruto let himself inside.

Everything was neat and tidy. Naruto politely removed his shoes before stepping up onto the polished wooden floors. "Sasuke?" he called, his voice bounced off the empty walls of the Uchiha main house. Bright morning sunlight streamed thorough open windows letting in the crisp fall air.

Naruto wandered about aimlessly trying to locate his teammate in his own house but to no avail. Had the two of them been playing hide-and-seek, Sasuke would have won right then and there. He stopped in front of a large bookcase and skimmed over the contents that it held. Most were the Uchiha records of births and deaths, some more looked to be the family Jutsus. A leather bound book caught the Uzumaki's interest. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching him and took it off the shelf.

It was a photo album! Pictures of the Uchiha family before they had been killed littered the pages, yellowed with age. There were a few blank pages before he recognized the next collection of pictures. The first was the squad picture that every genin took with their first three man squad. Naruto knew the photo well; he himself had it framed on his nightstand. More pictures followed, most of them were of Sasuke and Inara having fun on dates or of the entire team after a mission had been completed.

Naruto smiled, _I didn't think he'd kept these after all these years. _Suddenly one of the books that had been sitting on the shelf fell to the floor with a loud thud, making the Chunin jump. Cautiously, Naruto bent over to pick it up when a low growling sound made him raise a yellow eyebrow, "What the--?" His words turned to shouts of surprise and pain when a white furred creature leaped from the bookshelf and landed on his face, clawing and hissing angrily for being disturbed from its nap.

"Stupid cat gerroff me! Ow! Son of a-" Claws were raked across his face and scalp, he tried to grab the feline but only succeeded in getting his hands bitten till the point of bleeding.

"Neeko-chan, that's enough," said a familiar voice.

The cat immediately leapt off Naruto's face to jump up onto Sasuke shoulder, where it proceeded to rub against his face, purring happily, "What are you doing here baka? I could have you arrested for trespassing."

Naruto sat on the floor wiping blood off his hands and face, he glared at his teammate who obviously had just come in from the hot springs, "So that's why you never lock up anymore…you've gotten yourself an attack cat."

Sasuke stroked Neeko's white fur, "_I_ didn't teach her that, she's usually quite friendly…maybe she just doesn't like you."

"Ha ha very funny," Naruto got to his feet, "You know, I've always pictured you as a dog person."

"Are you going to question me choice in pets or tell me why you're here?"

"Oh yeah! We have our mission today, don't you remember?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Ugh, from the debriefing the council gave us, it sounds like a genin assignment."

The blonde shrugged, "You know the council, they have to make a big deal out of everything." He laughed.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and spotted the photo album on the floor, hot anger boiled up in this chest, "Naruto what the hell did you think you were doing?!" he bent over and picked up the book, checking to make sure none of the pictures had been damaged.

"Oh that? I was just-"

"What gives you the right to go looking through _my_ stuff? Does privacy mean nothing to you?!"

Naruto took a few steps back, "Sasuke I was just-"

"I don't care what you were 'just' doing! Get out, now!"

"But-"

"NOW!" The Uchiha growled.

Naruto stumbled past him towards the door and slammed it shut as he left. He ran down the filling streets of Konoha breathing heavily, he hadn't seen Sasuke that mad at him in a long time.

Sasuke put the book back on the shelf and collapsed onto a chair. Neeko curled up in his lap and began licking his fingers. He petted the cat for awhile then when to finish dressing.

**Training area 7…**

Naruto didn't stop running until he reached the training area. Sai was already there waiting patently under the shade of a tree with a scroll spread out in his lap. A calligraphy brush was clutched in his right hand and seemed to drift across the parchment leaving bold strokes of ink behind.

Naruto leaned up against the same tree, his arms folded across his chest.

"So let me guess," said Sai not even looking up from his work, "He got mad and threw you out?"

The blonde was silent, only confirming Sai's prediction, "Just leave him be Naruto. People like Sasuke like to be alone. It's not unusual for him to snap at you if I'm not mistaken. Don't let it bother you."

Naruto half heartedly told the soon-to-be ANBU to shut up, "You don't know Sasuke at all. He was never like this before…well…before that day."

Sai sprinkled starch onto his drawing to help it dry and rolled up the scroll, "I may not know the Uchiha very well but I know his type. I myself am one of them. You, Naruto are the exact opposite. You have no problem making friends and being accepted because of your personality, while Sasuke and I have a difficult time letting other close to us because of our fear of being hurt. It's not something you can change by forcing your friendship upon him. Take it from a voice of experience; he'll come around with time."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "That's what everyone's been telling me! But he hasn't changed! It's almost as if he _can't _change without Inara's help! He always trains by himself and he shuts himself up in his house unless we're on a mission! Then he runs right back and we don't hear from him until the next mission. Granted he was somewhat like this before squad seven had been formed, but that was before he and Inara started-" Naruto bit his tongue to stop himself from saying more.

Sai raised an eyebrow, "Until he and Inara started what?"

The Uzumaki shook his head, "Its not my place to say," he glanced around to make sure Sasuke or Kakashi sensei hadn't suddenly shown up, "but I'll tell you anyway, you have as much right as a member of this squad to know, Sasuke and Inara started dating after our first big mission, the one in the Land of Waves. Then, during the Chunin exams that year, we returned to Inara's homeland, the Wasteland Village, where they found out that they were betrothed to marry in hopes of restarting Inara's clan. But then…you know of the Uchiha tragedy, after that Sasuke and Inara didn't see each other for many years. During which time Inara's clan was destroyed by the Sand Village under orders from her father Orochimaru, who incidentally killed her two years ago. Since then Sasuke's been in his current condition."

Sai blinked twice, "Well…that explains a lot. I've never had a significant other but…I can tell you that wounds to the heart never heal so…my guess is…that he's hurting just as much if not even more than the day he found out about Inara's death, that, topped with his _own_ tragic history has got to be excruciating."

Just then Kakashi dropped down from the upper most branches of the tree, landing on his feet with barely a sound, "Yo."

Both Chunin nearly jumped out of their skins, "GAH! Kakashi sensei!" Both hollered in unison.

"What? I can't drop in on you unexpectedly?"

"No!"

"Well _sorry_—wait a minute…one…two…" he looked from Sai to Naruto from Naruto back to Sai, up into the tree, behind himself, then back to Sai and Naruto, "One black hair, two blonde…isn't there supposed to be another one of you?"

"Wow sensei…observant much?" chuckled Sai, "Yes Sasuke is missing…as usual."

Kakashi sighed, covering the visible half of his face with is hand, "Naruto…I _thought _I told you to fetch him this morning."

The blonde rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, well about that…"

"Sasuke kicked him out before he got a chance to explain anything because he caught Naruto looking through a certain photo album," interrupted Sai.

The Uzumaki's jaw hit the ground, his eye twitched uncontrollably; he hadn't mentioned the photo album to him, "Sai! How'd you know about the album?"

"I have my sources." He smiled.

Kakashi scribbled something on a scrap of paper and handed it to Sai, "Come back here in one hour with Sasuke, and if he refuses, tell him he better get his Sharingan butt over to training area seven or he'll be sent back to the Academy for failure to obey orders!"

The Chunin nodded and took to the trees.

"Naruto I want you to go with him,"

"What?! But sensei I-"

"No buts Uzumaki, unless you want to go back to the Academy as well for questioning a superior," the Jonin warned.

Naruto mumbled something about an 'evil attack cat' before kicking a rock with his sandal and taking off on Sai's heels.

Kakashi sighed and sat down under the shade of the ancient oak and took out a familiar orange novel.

**With Sai and Naruto…**

Sai knocked on the door to the Uchiha mansion and waited for answer, one didn't come.

"He knows it's us," said Naruto.

"That maybe so," said Sai, "But I for one will _not_ be ignored," he pounded on the door this time.

Slowly it creaked open and Sasuke's voice came from the darkness, "Well come on, I don't have all day to hold the door open for you two."

Naruto shook his head in confusion, why did Sasuke open the door for Sai and not him? His question would be later answered with, "I was out back and couldn't hear you knocking."

Sasuke's teammates entered the Uchiha main house and were escorted to the sitting room. Polished wooden furniture was crammed into every corner, adorned with richly colored throw pillows and cushions. The Uchiha threw open a pair of curtains to let in the afternoon sunlight, "Can I get you guys anything to drink?" he asked in his usual monotone. Naruto could tell he didn't really feel like offering them anything but did anyways in order to be a good host.

Both Sai and Naruto shook their heads and found couches or chairs to sit on while Sasuke began pacing the room, "So, Sai…why are you here? I already kicked Naruto out once today and I _really _wouldn't mind doing it again."

Sai stifled the urge to laugh, "Look Uchiha, Kakashi sensei sent us to…_retrieve _you for our little meeting that was _supposed_ to have taken place earlier this morning."

Sasuke leaned up against a wall with his arms crossed, "I knew about the meeting,"

"Then why didn't you come when I came earlier?" Naruto blurted suddenly. Sasuke glared at him, "Because _baka…_I didn't feel like joining you at the time."

"So…you will now?" Sai asked.

The Uchiha was silent for a few moments, as if he were thinking it over, "Nope," he said suddenly, "Now if that's all, I'd like to be left alone."

Naruto stood up quickly, upsetting the chair he had been sitting on, "Sasuke you can't ignore you're duty as a Konoha Chunin! You can't just lock yourself away because you feel like moping around! Inara was my teammate too! Did you even stop to think that maybe I miss her too?! You're acting like a spoiled brat! When are you going to grow up and start thinking how your actions are hurting others instead of focusing only on yourself?!"

Sasuke ground his teeth together angrily, trying desperately to not leap across the room and strangle his teammate, "Listen, you think you can show up and tell me how I should live my life! You have NO idea what I've been through! You don't know what its like to love someone then have them torn away from you! What if Hinata died huh? What would you do then?!"

"That's different!" Naruto argued.

"Is it really? You love her don't you?!"

"Of course I do but-"

"And if someone killed her, stealing her from you forever, you'd want revenge on them wouldn't you?!"

Naruto hesitated.

"WOULDN'T YOU?!"

"Well yeah but-"

"EXATCLY! You'd do everything in your power to eliminate her killer even if it cost you you're life! But _you_ don't have to worry about that because she's alive and well! SO JUST SHUT UP ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW!" Sasuke's last words echoed off the walls of the house. He collapsed on the floor panting, heavy breathing broke into sobs, hot tears of guilt running down his face, "I-I shouldn't have left her…I should have stayed…now she's gone. I-It's my fault…it's my fault…I should have been there for her…but I wasn't…I abandoned her. Inara is dead…because of _me_."

Naruto glanced at Sai, searching for help, but Sai raised an eyebrow as if to say, "Well go on, you know him better than I do."

The blonde sighed and knelt down in front of his teammate, "Sasuke…you know that's not true. If leaving Inara to fight Orochimaru alone is a crime, than I'm as much to blame as you are…so is Kakashi sensei. As much as I know you want to…you can't carry the burden of Inara's death on your own. Let me help…as a friend. Besides, it's not yours to carry alone anyway." He nudged his friend's shoulder.

Sasuke looked up and was immediately greeted by Naruto's smiling face, he sniffed once and wiped the tears away with the palm of his hand. Embarrassment flooded over him…he couldn't believe he'd broken down in front of Naruto…well…Naruto had seen him cry once… but _Sai?! _He had a reputation to uphold! Sasuke sighed before he trusted himself to speak again, "You're right Naruto…I'm sorry. I have been acting like a kid, but not anymore. As of today, I'm going to train harder than ever!"

"Speaking of training," said Sai, rising up from the couch he had been sitting on, "Sensei sent us here to gather you for a mission Sasuke, he also says if you refuse you'll be sent back to the Academy for failure to obey orders."

The Uchiha felt a faint tug of a smile on the corners of his mouth, "Is that so? Well then I guess we'd better be going then huh?" he stood up and ran to gather any ninja gear he would need for the exercise. Once Garyuu was strapped firmly to his side did he give his teammates the signal he was ready to leave.

**Somewhere in the Land of Rain… Early Evening…**

Cold rain water collected on leaves of the trees and poured down the shirts of its occupants. A bird began singing somewhere in the distance as the rain finally began to ebb away. The air was crisp and fresh…a perfect fall night once the clouds had dispersed.

A dark mud covered object shifted slightly and opened its cerulean eyes. He had been lying in wait for over six hours now in the rain. He was glad for the extra cloak he had brought with him but hated the water droplets that trickled down the center of his back every few seconds. The human shifted again, trying to stretch out cramped muscles and locked joints but only resulted in more discomfort and impatience.

Naruto's face was covered in mud, as were his clothes. His hair had been dyed from its bright blonde to a mucky brown. The rain did provide him and his squad mates an essential item that they weren't able to bring with them…camouflage. The Uzumaki could barely make out his teammates who waited in a trance like state, searching for any signs of life in a small shack that lay not a hundred yards in front of them.

Sai was to Naruto's right and was busy muttering incantations to himself while keeping one eye on the target. Sasuke starred at the shack like a hungry lion that had just seen a wounded animal, and as for Kakashi…well Kakashi was roughly fifty feet above them reading his paper bag disguised novel.

Naruto's muscles stiffened, had he just heard the door to the shack creak open? He looked but the scene hadn't changed. The Chunin tried to relax but found himself more tense with each passing minute. When was this guy going to show himself?!

He thought back to the mission debriefing they had had back in Konoha.

_Kakashi put his book away in his shuriken pouch and scolded Sasuke for not coming when Naruto had come earlier that morning. To which Sasuke only snorted and reminded the Jonin that he himself was never on time either. Kakashi merely laughed and said, "Touché. Alright everyone, I've obviously called you three here because we have a new mission, 'B' ranked so this is important stuff. We're to travel to the Land of Rain and capture a man that goes by the name of Mako Takamichi and escort him back here so he may be questioned by our council of elders. _

_Naruto had raised his hand then, "But sensei, why is this a 'B' rank mission? I mean is this Mako guy dangerous?" _

_"No Naruto, but many people are after him right now and its up to us to get him first." _

_"What's the big deal with this guy?" asked Sasuke "Is he a celebrity or something?" _

_Kakashi sighed, "Questions, questions and more questions! I miss the little genin who starred in wonder at everything I did. No Sasuke, he's obtained some vital information that the village needs to get their hands on. The information itself is harmless but the organization that it covers is very dangerous. They're called the Akatsuki and are a band of rouge ninja that are notorious for capturing the demonic containers, extracting the demon, then starting wars with them." He looked at Naruto, "We were hand picked for this mission because we, in the past, had two containers on this squad. Currently we may only have one but that's one more than the other teams. Naruto I want you to be very careful on this mission. No one knows who or when the Akatsuki are going to target someone but I can guess that they have their sights set on you." _

_The Uzumaki forced himself to swallow and nodded. When no one was looking he touched the seal on his stomach, 'They want the Kyuubi? And to start wars now less, but how would they benefit from that?' _

_**"You're a dense one aren't you boy?" **__said a voice from within his head, it was the demon fox, __**"The Akatsuki start a war, then they jump in at the last second and vanquish the demon therefore becoming heroes. Their plan kills two birds with one stone really, they get to slaughter thousands of people in their former villages and they get the perks of being idols. If I'm not mistaken, that Uchiha's brother is a member as well."**_

'_Sasuke's brother…Itachi?!' _

"_**That very one, personally I wouldn't mind showing him a thing or two when it came to true power after what the Uchiha's did to me all those years ago." **_

'_You know the Uchiha clan?!' _

"_**Whoops, slip of the tongue, nothing that I'm willing to delve into further with a brat like you." **_

_Naruto had tried to get the fox to talk more but he bluntly refused and dove into the Uzumaki's sub-consciousness to rest. _

Sasuke positioned himself so he could talk to Naruto with as little noise as possible, "What the hell is going on in there? I don't know about you but I keep hearing these grunting noises. Rain country better not have any wild boars, that's the last thing we need right now."

Naruto nodded, wild animals, especially wild pigs, greatly jeopardized any mission. It wasn't uncommon for a squad to return with severe wounds caused by the wild swine. With four inch long tusks and razor sharp hooves and teeth and a bad temper to boot, they were a force to be reckoned with.

All three genin nearly jumped out of their skins when Kakashi's voice crackled over their headsets, "Make yourselves comfortable, it seems our friend has a lady visitor." They heard the sound of a page turning and gave each other confused looks.

Naruto was the first to break the silence, "Sensei doesn't mean that that Mako guy is-?"

Sasuke's confused face twisted into one of sudden disgust, "I shudder to think."

"That's really gross," said Sai from over the headset, "Well at least we know its not wild boars."

All three teenagers heard Kakashi chuckling to himself, "You three really are kids aren't you?"

Sai immediately countered with, "Sorry sensei but we don't walk around town and nab the first girl that catches our eye in order to get laid."

The Jonin was silent.

Sai smirked, "I think I struck a nerve."

Naruto and Sasuke had to fight to stifle bursts of laughter.

"Hey hey look!" the Uzumaki whispered into the mouthpiece of the headset, "Looks like our boy is done having fun, he's coming out!"

"Alright you three, this is it, get ready….steady…wait till he's out in the open….now!"

A dark haired fair faced man in his mid-thirties turned from locking up the shack that he used for research and entertainment purposes and saw Sai, Kakashi and Naruto barring his path, "What the hell is going on here?!" he spotted their headbands, "Your Leaf ninja aren't you?!"

"Mako Takamichi?"

The cold voice sent shivers down the researcher's spine, "Y-yes?" he looked behind him to see a raven haired youth with crimson eyes glaring at him.

"I'm sorry but you need to come with us. If you cooperate we won't have to use force."

The man gasped, "I-I know you!" he pointed at Sasuke's eyes, "You're an Uchiha!"

A knife hand strike to the base of the neck was enough to silence the scientist temporarily.

"Geeze Sasuke you didn't have to kill him!" shouted a loud voice.

"I didn't kill him, I knocked him out," argued another.

"Knocking someone out for three days is teqnically putting them into a coma if you want my advice," said another voice.

"No Sai, we don't." said an angry voice.

Mako felt warm fingertips press against his neck, "He's alive Naruto, you can settle down," said a much older voice.

Mako's eyes flickered open. He was in a dimly lit room with a single table and no windows. His hands were handcuffed to the chair he was sitting in.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to wake up?" said Sasuke who was leaning in the back right corner of the room.

Sai and Naruto were in the front two corners with Kakashi in the middle, seated across from Mako.

"Mr. Takamichi, welcome to Konoha," said the Jonin, "Now unfortunately we don't have time for many formalities but we do have time to quickly introduce ourselves, I am Kakashi Hatake, this is Sai, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Yes you were correct on his bloodline. The reason we had to so rudely abduct you was because you have some vital information that this Village needs. I don't like to play the 'good cop, bad cop' game but-"

"We will if you refuse to talk," the raven haired Chunin hissed.

"Sasuke, down boy!" Kakashi scolded. The young ninja merely rolled his eyes and settled back into the corner.

"Now, I'm going to ask you a series of question and I need you to answer them truthfully then we'll allow you to go free without any bodily or mental harm."

Mako forced himself to swallow, "What kind of questions?"

"Well, about the Akatsuki for example, we know about them but we don't know every member, maybe you could disclose some information for us? Of course we'd offer you protection incase they came after you in the near future or if you wish, you can remain anonymous on our cities visitor roasters."

Mako bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from talking, the offer was generous but he couldn't trust ninja from foreign countries that easily.

Five minutes passed and Sasuke's temper has frayed down to his last nerve, "Look you!" the chrome table was flipped through the air with an impressive amount of speed and landed on the petrified man's stomach, Sasuke's foot pinned it in place, "They asked you nicely, _I _on the other hand won't ask again! What members do you know for _sure_ are in the Akatsuki!"

Mako's face was purple; his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but his voice never came.

"_Answer me!_" the Uchiha growled again, "Or I'll start busting internal organs!"

"ok….ok…I'll tell you!"

Sasuke removed the table from the researcher's stomach and slammed its legs back onto the floor with a metallic clang.

Mako looked at Kakashi fearfully, "Just don't let him near me again!" he whimpered.

The Jonin nodded, "We can do that. Sasuke, over hear by me. Now, if you please?"

Mako sighed, "Alright, the Akatsuki are made up of ten members. I know only a few names but I'll give you what I can. They are led by a man that goes by the name of Pein, what he looks like I don't know but I _do_ know is that he can split himself into multiple persons, each with a different personality."

"Deidara is the second member; he's a blond with only one eye. He keeps the other hidden because it's not really an eye at all, it's a targeting device. His powers are…unique. In the palms of his hands, he has a small mouth, tongue, teeth…the works. He uses them to mold clay and make exploding dolls. I'm pretty sure he can animate them for a short amount of time but then again I'm not positive."

"The third is Hidan, he's a very religious man and is always trying to convert others to his religion. Before you ask, I'm not sure what exactly it is but it's a bloody one that requires sacrifices to be made."

"The fourth's name is Kisame Hoshigaki. He looks very similar to a shark or fish and is one of the seven swords men. His sword is almost as famous as he is the Samehada or "Shark Skin" sword that shreds instead of cuts and absorbed chakra. He's very skilled in water Jutsu being that he's from the Land of Mist."

"Um…let me think a bit now, there are so many of them…ah yes, the fifth one goes by the name of Zetsu. Now he's a strange looking character. Exactly half white and half black with growths on the side of his head and neck making him look like a plant. He can merge with the ground and plants around him and travel at amazing speeds. I believe his function in the group is to act as a spy."

"There is only one member I do not know the name of, but I'm pretty sure that they are female. I noted this when I first saw them, light blue hair with a flower piece pinned in it."

"The seventh is one of the three Sanin that goes by the name of Orochimar-"

Sasuke slammed his fist into the wall with a loud "thud" making the scientist jump violently, "DON'T mention that name around here!" he hissed, "We know all about him." The Uchiha fought the urge to touch the curse mark on his neck.

Poor Mako nearly wet his pants, "A-all right, S-Sasori is the puppet master of the group. He has reddish hair and is rather young compared to the rest. It is said that he never sends his own body into battle…always a puppet."

"The ninth, Kakuzu, is able to extend life indefinitely through extraction and incorporation of foreign human hearts. He can possess five human hearts at once, and is able to use all five chakra elements."

"The tenth I'm sure you heard of," Mako looked directly at Sasuke as he spoke, "After all he is a missin nin from this village."

Sasuke tensed as a chill ran up his spine.

"Itachi Uchiha, master of the Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan. Tell me…Sasuke…was it? How are the two of you…related?"

The Chunin's face clouded with anger, he ground his teeth together to stop himself from leaping forward and killing the researcher in front of him. _At least I know where he is now._ He thought bitterly.

Mako waited for Sasuke to answer but gave up as soon as the Konoha Chunin made it clear that he wasn't going to answer. The man sighed and continued his stream of information, "There are some sub-agents in the Akatsuki as well, Tobi, for instence along with Kabuto Yakushi, and Yura. They're not as dangerous as the main members but I'd watch out for them if I were you."

Kakashi nodded, "You've been a great help, Sasuke will escourt you back to your home tomorrow morning. As for tonight you stay here under the full protection of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Mako nodded, "Thank you kindly sir. I shall be glad to be home once again."

The Konoha ninja left the room single file, Sasuke was the last to leave. He glanced back as Mako once and hurried out the door before the man could notice.

Kakashi stopped him before he could step onto the road that would take him back home, "Sasuke I want you to escourt Mr. Takamichi home tomorrow morning. Use Roc if you must but make sure that _no one_ sees him. The last thing we need right now is for our neighbors to find out that we kidnapped someone for information with our Shinobi levels so low."

The Uchiha curled his lip in a low growl, "Why me? Get Naruto or Sai to do it, I'm busy."

"Because Naruto and Sai have already lead their solo missions, you're the only one that's left. Besides, it's a requirement that all Chunin go solo for at least one mission before their eligibal for the Jonin test."

Sasuke felt his blood begin to boil with anger. It took all his strenth to resist punching the wall less than two feet away from him, "Fine…I'll do it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to like it."

Kakashi chuckled, "I never said you had to. Just make sure he makes it home alive then get back here as fast as you can."

AN: SPIRIT HAD HER FOAL!! (it's a boy!) since no one submitted any names I decided Shogun would be the best. Right now he's two weeks old and brown with a black main and tail. I think he's going to be a black when he gets older but I'm not positive. I'm testing for my green belt in six days so wish me luck and….I don't know how much time I'll have to work on the story because I'm training my horse for the Polk County Fair. If I have any readers near that area please come see me!

P.S. I've given up on telling you guys to review because you never do so yeah….that's all….you can go now….seriously…go….GET OUT OF HERE LET ME SLEEP!


	28. First Sighting

AN: I passed my green belt test but I failed to break the one inch thick pine board…I must not be kicking hard enough

AN: I passed my green belt test but I failed to break the one inch thick pine board…I must not be kicking hard enough. Anyway, why is it that whenever I have a new chapter that needs to be started I can never sleep passed 4:30? You guys are depriving me of my much needed sleep! (lol jk) No but seriously I am tired but I can't sleep. Let's see… upcoming events…nothing I can think of at the moment but I'll let you know at the end of this chapter. Oh and THANKS FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVEIWS! (I love them!)

Disclaimer: Me: Naruto, do I own you?

Naruto: um…no?

Me: ding, ding, ding, what did he win Bob?

Bob: A brand new car!

Naruto: SWEET!  
Me: unfortunately you can't drive.

Naruto: Darn it!

**First Sighting **

Dry cat food clinked in the bowl calling a certain white cat to its breakfast. Neeko chan darted out from under the couch and began eating ravenously. Sasuke smiled a little and strokes the animal's soft fur. Neeko chan continued to eat, but purred louder than a motorboat at the attention she was receiving.

"Good morning Neeko chan," the Uchiha whispered as he petted the feline, "Listen I'm going on a mission today so I need you to guard the house, especially against Naruto. If anyone comes in, you know what to do."

The can finished her morning meal and rubbed against Sasuke's leg as if saying, "You worry too much master. No one gets passed me unscathed."

The Chunin gave his pet one last scratch behind the ear before getting up to gather all the weapons and equipment he would need for the day's assignment. He dug through a drawer in a large dresser grabbing kunai, small shuriken, exploding tags, Nin-wire and Jutsu scrolls. A larger closet held what the drawer could not such as Bo staffs, kali sticks, bladed tonfa, nunchaku, and of course…Garyuu.

Armed to the teeth, Sasuke grabbed a pouch of ration pills, stuffed them into the pack over his shoulder and headed out the door to meet Mako Takamichi at the village's main gates.

The middle aged scholar was already present when Sasuke leaped down off the rooftops. He hated taking the road in the village, especially in the busy morning traffic.

Mako shifted nervously at the Uchiha's presence. The bruises on his stomach reminded him of what the teenager was capable of, "Good morning," he chirped, trying to ease the tension between the two of them, "Did you sleep well?"

Sasuke's only reply was a grunt as he untied a pocket on his Chunin vest. Out of it dropped a bloodstained scroll that was tattered from multiple uses, "I hope you're not afraid of heights Mr. Takamichi."

The researcher laughed nervously, "Of course not, why do you ask?"

"Because quite frankly I don't want to have to walk three days to get you back to your little shack out in the middle of nowhere." Sasuke formed some quick hand signs and places his bleeding palm on the ground, "Stand back, I'm calling some friends of mine to help us out. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" (Summoning Jutsu) A shrill pair of screeches pierced the morning as Roc and Kima soared through the sky and landed without a sound in a flurry of dirt and wind created by their great wings.

"Master! I know you need our aid everyone in awhile but Kima and I have eggs that need tending to!" the black eagle argued.

Sasuke climbed onto Roc's back, "Your eggs will be fine for a day. But right now we need to escort this Mako Takamichi back to his home, a three days walk from here, one if we fly."

The raptor sighed, "As you wish Master."

Sasuke glanced back down on the ground where the researcher was as white as a ghost. He sighed, "Most if not all summoning animals talk, but like people they get annoyed if you ask them stupid questions. Roc and Kima have served the Uchiha family for generations. They're not going to bite. Kima is the female, she's gentle enough, don't pull out any of her feathers and you'll be fine."

Mako gulped nervously before taking a hesitant step foreword.

The white female eagle, Kima, sighed and snapped the scholar up in her beak and tossed him onto her back, "If you're not going to get on yourself I might as well help you." She scolded.

Sasuke let loose a shrill whistle to call the white eagle into the sky after her mate. Mako gripped a fistful of the white plumage and hung on for dear life, his stomach doing summersaults all the while.

**Unknown Location…**

Inara was led by the arm in to a large dome of earth. A large stone was rolled over the opening. The hand holding her vanished and she was alone.

She, Jask and the two members of the Akatsuki had been traveling for nearly a week in order to reach the "testing grounds," as Kisame had put it. The kunoichi had been frightened of the pair at first but as she grew used to them, she quickly found that there was nothing to be afraid of as long as Jask was with her. Whenever the demon felt one of the men got too close he bared his teeth and growled a warning.

But now Jask was gone, they had been separated that morning for their tests. Darkness loomed all around her. Cold air chilled her skin, sending shivers down her arms and spine. There was no light in the cave, it was so dark one couldn't even see their nose in front of their face. A breath of chilly hair rushed past Inara, she spun around, the blades on her arm braces fully extended, "Who's there?" she called, her voice trembling slightly.

A voice ripped through the darkness, echoing off the high ceiling, "This is your testing area jinchuuriki. In order to pass you must defeat one opponent in complete darkness _without_ the aid of your demon or companion. The rules are simple, aim to kill. The test will be over when one of us turns on the lights. If you pass, you will be accepted as a member of our organization. A ring will be presented to you along with the appropriate dress, but for now lets just worry about the test."

Inara didn't recognize the voice, it didn't belong to Itachi or Kisame but she did know that the owner didn't sound too friendly. Her boots crunched the gravel under her feet, alerting whomever she was fighting of her location.

"Deidara, don't go easy on her just because she's a woman." Said the same voice.

A new voice, less than ten yards behind her laughed, "You think gender matters when my art is required to kill hm? How many times must I tell you Pein hn?"

"Quit your yammering Deidara and finish her!" shouted another voice.

Inara felt wings brush the side of her face, _a bird? Or maybe…AIIIEEE not a bat! _Her arms flailed wildy, "It's in my hair, it's in my hair!" she screeched.

Deidara was knocked backward by the girl's thrashing and thrown against a wall but Inara didn't seem to notice, "Quit your rambling girl and fight me hn!"

The kunoichi halted, her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness. She closed her fists, extending the blades in her arm braces. A bright flash filled the cave with white before pitching everything back into darkness. Spots flittered in and out of the Ayanomi's vision.

"Did you honestly think I'd let you see me hn? My clay is laced with my chakra so I can make it explode whenever I wish. The eruption creates a bright flash that blinds my opponents. Here, that power is amplified."

Inara stood where she was, trying to regain her vision, _I can't trust my eyes…and Jask-chan isn't here to help me…what am I supposed to do?! _She hit her knees and hid her face in her knees, sobs echoed off the cave walls.

Deidara paused in his attack and raised a blonde eyebrow, "Are you crying hn? I didn't even hit you that hard." He cautiously approached the spot where Inara was sitting.

The kunoichi's eyesight had returned but she dared not open her eyes in case the blonde man had another attack ready, instead she kept up the stream of crocidiel tears. Her opponent hesitanly knelt down near her trying to decide what he should do, he looked to his superiors but they didn't provide an answer. Before he knew what had happened, a sharp pain shot up his arm. He was tossed through the air and a heavy weight was placed on his chest. Cold metal pressed against his jugular on both sides of his neck.

"Hm, too easy. I honestly didn't think you would fall for the "poor little girl crying" gag, looks like I was wrong." Inara purred. Someone flicked on the lights revealing her kneeling on Deidara's chest, her arms crossed. The blades to the braces had sunk in by a hair's width. A slow clapping told the kunoichi that it was alright to let the blonde to his feet.

Pein stood on a rock overhanging clapping slowly, "Not what I expected but you pass nonetheless. Come up here child and claim your reward." He motioned to the empty space next to him.

Inara climbed a stone stairwell, Jask was the first person she saw. The demon was unscathed and smiled, "I'm proud of you hatchling. It seems you don't need me whispering in your ear during battle after all." He was already fitted with a black cloak with red clouds covering it, a widebrimmed straw hat rested on his back. Jask gently shoved her in Pein's direction where the leader of the Akatsuki gazed down at her.

His hair was a bright orangeish brown, many peircings were lined vertically along his nose. His eyes were cold, sending shivers up the kunoichi's spine, "I hereby present you with the Kūchin ring. Having passed your test you are now a full fledged member of the Akatsuki. Since you no nothing of your true name, from here on out you shall be called after the ring you wear on the little finger of your left hand, the Void." A man wearing an oragne spiral mask stepped forward and tossed the Akatsuki robes over her shoulders. With trembling fingers she fastened the clasps around her throat.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki, Void," said Pein as the nine individuals circled around their new sister.

**Land of Rain… **

Two eagles landed with dull thuds on rain saturated earth. Sasuke slid off Roc's back and moved to help the petrified Mako.

"We're going to have to wait out the storm here. I'm not liking the looks of those clouds," said the Uchiha, gesturing to the black sky, "We'll make camp here and continue in the morning." Thunder clapped overhead, a flash of lightning brightened the heavens before darkness reigned again. Sheets of rain began to fall, soaking everything.

"Ack, Roc, and Kima you're free to go. I'll summon you again tomorrow." Sasuke hacked his way through the thick underbrush to find shelter. Mako followed close behind. Both were drenched by the time they made it to the closest tree. Taking shelter within the ancient willow's roots was the best way to keep dry. Sasuke tossed a glass orb filled with yellowish liquid onto a damp pile of sticks and lit it with a Jutsu. Soon a large fire was helping the Shinobi and his escortee dry off. They ate a cold dinner of bread, meat and dried fruit that Sasuke had thought to bring with him. It wasn't much but it would have to last until morning.

Mako finished eating and wiped his hands together, "So, what's with the sudden attitude change?"

Sasuke looked up from the piece of wood that he was carving with a kunai, "Hm, I beg your pardon?"

"Well, back in Konoha it seemed you were ready to kill me and now you easily could and return home and no one would be the wiser."

"I was frustrated."

"And you're not now?" Mako pressed for answers.

"No, I still am and will be until my goal is met. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the "happy all the time" type like a certain blonde teammate of mine."

The Takamichi laughed, "I noted the differences. So about this goal…what is it exactly?"

Sasuke was silent, glaring at the orange flames again, "You really like prying into other people's personal lives don't you?"

The researcher shrugged, "its how I make my living and it's not everyday one gets to talk to an Uchiha anymore."

The Chunin rolled his eyes, the fascination that came with his clan's name was getting old very quickly, "If I tell you, you have to tell me something things…deal?"

Mako nodded, "Agreed."

Sasuke sighed and leaned back on his hands, "When I say _a_ goal I actually mean two. There are two certain people in this world that I plan on eliminating."

"Is your brother one of them?"

Sasuke glared at him through the corner of his eye, "Yes."

"And the second?"

"Hn, think about it. Who's name, besides my brother's; did I respond to the most yesterday?"

"Orochimaru?! You can't be serious; he's one of the legendary Sanin! A puny Chunin like you wouldn't stand a chance, Uchiha or not!" Mako exclaimed.

The beginnings of a smile tugged at the edges of Sasuke's mouth, "That's why I'm training. I will become stronger and I will kill them…one day. I don't care if he's one of the Kage, Orochimaru will pay."

"And how do you plan going about that?"

The Uchiha almost laughed, "He gave me a little something during my first year as a genin—during the Chunin exams three years ago." He tugged the collar of his shirt down to show the scientist the mark he had received, "I've kept it well hidden up till now. I'm only showing you because our paths will never cross again and you will _not _mention it to any other living thing." Sasuke warned.

Mako studied the mark carefully, "This is the Heavenly Curse mark. How you survived the trials of its early stages I won't ask…may I?"

Sasuke pulled his collar down further so the scholar could inspect it further.

"Ah! It appears that it's been sealed with a weak Jutsu," said Mako brushing his fingers over the blackened skin carefully.

"Kakashi did that. The strength of the seal depends on the person's will to control the mark and keep it within the seal." Sasuke explained.

"I see," said Mako, "And I also see that it's been activated recently. Tell me…what exactly does it do?"

The raven haired Chunin quickly hid the mark again and zipped his vest back up, "That's for me to know and for you never to find out," he hissed, "it's my burden to bear in silence."

Mako sat back down on his side of the campfire, "So is that mark the reason you wish to kill Orochimaru?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No, he stole something very precious to me and now I'll never be able to get it back." He rested his chin on his hands which he rested on his knees.

The scientist look confused, "All object can be returned."

"What he stole wasn't an object…it was a person…his own daughter whom you've heard of before I'm sure…Inara Ayanomi."

Mako nodded, "Yes I know the Ayanomi's and the tragedy that befell the clan. It's funny really, how the same thing happened to your clan as well."

"What do you know about them, Inara's family?" Sasuke asked.

Mako sighed, "It's been awhile since I've researched them; let me think a moment…"

The Uchiha waited patiently as the researched gathered his thoughts, "The first Ayanomi's came from the mountains of the mainland and met up with desert wanderers during their migration. They were looking for better, warmer land in which they could grow crops and start their own nation, but alas all the best land was already taken so they were forced to settle for the land where they reside. They earned money by making swords from the metal that they were able to mine from the sands, producing rarely colored blades. They made a fortune that way and several members went on to forge the blades that are now wielded by the legendary seven swordsmen."

"Whoa, whoa…seven swordsmen, who're they?" Sasuke asked, "Inara never mentioned anything about them, what are they known for?"

Mako laughed, "Exactly as their name suggests, the seven swordsmen are _the_ greatest swordsmen of all time! No one crosses blades with them and lives to tell about it. I only know two of the seven names, Zabuza Momochi and Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Zabuza was one of the legendary swordmen?!" The Uchiha was stunned, he had known the missing nin was dangerous but to cross paths with ledgend…that was another matter entirly.

Mako however looked confused, "What do you mean _was_?"

Sasuke laughed nervously, "Well he's been dead for about three years," he continued before the scientist could interuppt him, "One of my firsts missions as a genin was to escourt a bridge builder back to his home in the Land of Waves. We ran into Zabuza multipule times before there was a big showdown and he was killed by thugs hired by the same man who hired him. It was his assistant Haku who was the real pain in the backside." Sasuke shifted his weight back. The dying flames of the campfire cast an eerie glow on the surrounding hollow of the tree, "It's getting late," he finally said, "You should get some sleep Mr. Takamichi, we leave at first light."

Mako squirmed nervously, "What if someone finds us?"

"Don't worry, I'm a light sleeper. A chipmunck couldn't get in here without my knowing it." Sasuke then curled up, using his arm as a pillow, a small wooden flute lay finished off to the side.

**Later that Night...**

The scientist awoke to a hand being roughly shoved over his mouth. He wanted to scream but was gagged by the stranger's fist.

"Will you stop moving already?" Sasuke hissed through the darkness, "I'm pretty sure they haven't seen us yet, but they'll sure as hell hear us if you don't quit it."

Mako ceased his thrashing and Sasuke removed his hand from his mouth, "What's going on?" he asked.

The Uchiha continued to glare out into the forest, "Someone's watching us. They started skulking around about a half hour ago."

Mako gulped nervously, "How many are there?"

"Four or five for sure but I'm almost positive they're shadow clones." Lightning lit up the area. Sasuke flinched back into the base of the tree to avoid detection, "Alright, you stay here. If they find you, defend your self with these," he tossed his employer his shuriken pouch, "I'm going after them. If I'm not back within twenty minutes…expect the worst and get yourself out of here."

Mako stared in disbelief, "Do you realize what you're saying? You don't have to do this. You don't have to risk your life for me."

Sasuke sighed, "I know, but its my job, no offence but you're my paycheck. Now stay here and remember what I told you."

The researcher nodded, clutching the shuriken pouch like a life line as Sasuke scaled the willow from the opposite side. He paused at one of the lowest branches and scanned the area. Whom ever was following them was being extra careful not to be seen. A clap of thunder shook the air around him, a hard rain begain to soak the earth, making hand and foot holds slippery.

Sasuke heard a stick snap behind him, slowly he drew a kunai and crouched down, readying himself for an attack.

"Yeah, yeah I know….it was an accident! Well you try sneaking around in the dark with sticks lying everywhere. Oh yeah…heh heh my bad?"

Whoever Sasuke had discovered was obviously not alone. His target strode closer to the Uchiha's hiding place when the raven haired Chunin leaped off the branch, tackling his opponent. The two of them rolled across the forest floor struggling to throw off his attacker. Thinking quickly, Sasuke placed his foot in the person's gut and flipped them over his head and pinned them there…a move Inara had shown him during the battle on the bridge.

The stranger grunted in pain and growled angily, "Get off me!"

Sasuke held the kunai to their throat, "Why're you following us!," he spat. A flash of lightning lit up the scene. Cerulean eyes glared into Sharingan. "Naruto?"

The blonde struggled under the Uchiha's weight, "Who else would it be?!" he growled, "Now get off me!"

Sasuke helped his friend to his feet, "What are you doing here? I'm supposed to compleate this misson on my own."

Naruto dusted himself off, "We know, but you told us that you'd only be a day so when you didn't show up Kakashi sensei sent us to find you." Naruto pressed a button on the side of a small black box, "Hey Sai, I found him…yeah he's fine…no duh! He fricken attacked me! Oh yeah? Well next time we go looking for him _you_ can be the one to sneak in closer to the camp and get into a grappling match with him then!" Naruto sighed in to the mic, "Whatever, tell sensei I'll be returning with Sasuke then." He switched the walkie off and removed the headphone from his ear and shoved it into his shuriken pouch.

Mako was huddled in the shadows of the treetrunk clutching a handful of shirken when Naruto and Sasuke returned.

"Mr. Takamichi, you remember my teammate Naruto? It was him that I sensed in the forest."

The scientist immidiatly relaxed, "So I'm not in any danger?"

Naruto shook his head, "For the time being no, and with two Chunin's guarding you, we can guarentee that you'll return home safely."

The rest of the mission was uneventful. Mako was returned to his shack in the middle of the forest where he was sure that no one would be able to find him. Sasuke and Naruto immidiatly returned to Konoha to report the misson's success.

Not long afterward Naruto excused himself from a meeting with Kakashi to meet Hinata, he'd promised that he'd take her out to dinner the day before. Sasuke watched them go out of the corner of his eye, he felt a twinge of jelousy deep within his heart. He sighed and returned home to clean the grime of the misson from his skin.

The Uchiha had just stepped out of the shower to someone knocking on the door quite loudly, "I'm coming!" he shouted. He glanced at his cloths, the caller knocked on the door again. Sasuke sighed iritatedly and wrapped a towel around his waist and went to answer the door.

"Its about time," said Jariya, noting that Sasuke was just in a towel and rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to ask."

"Well its not like you gave me time to get dressed," the Uchiha growled as he motioned for Jariya to come in. He returned to the bathroom to dress while the toad sage spoke to him from the living room.

"So you're a Chunin now eh? With a little more polishing I think you and your teammates will make Jonin before next year. Speaking of which, who's that albino fellow?"

Sasuke pulled on a black pair of pants and moved to begin brushing his teeth, "That's Sai, he's with us to clean up the basics then he's moving on to be an ANBU."

The toad sage leaned back on the couch, "Ah, well I'll cut to the chase. I know you've just returned from a misson but I've got another ready for you--"

Sasuke spat out a mouthful of toothpaste angrily, "What, but I just returned from a mission! Don't I get a break?! Send a Jonin, someone with more experience, hell send Naruto or Sai! They seem to enjoy the stupid missions the council gives them."

Jariya was on his feet now, "Will you just shut up for a minute so I can finish?"

Sasuke glared at him and resumed brushing his teeth a little harder than necissary.

"The council has decided to elect a new Hokage, they orinally chose me but I turned them down. Our misson is to find the woman who is to become the next Hokage. Naruto will be accompanying us. I have a feeling that she's somewhere in the Land of Fire but the problem is locating her because so never stays in one place too long."

Sasuke sighed and washed his mouth out with water, "Why me? Why can't you just take Naruto?"

Jariya laughed, "You and that blonde were hand picked for this mission, you two are quite popular with the council nowadays. We leave tomorrow and dawn, pack for a long journey because we don't return untill this mission is complete." The toad sage showed himself out, leaving Sasuke in a boiling fury. The Uchiha kicked the doorframe than immidiatly wished he hadn't done so. Grumbling to himself, he limped back to his room to pack for a very long trip.

**Later that Night…**

_She was dying again…because of him…because he hadn't been there to save her…but this time he was being forced to watch. Watched as her blood soaked into the dirt, watched at her killer laughed at her…at him…at his weakness. _

_"Sasuke…what have you done?" said an unknown voice behind him. Sasuke turned to see a genin with dark brown hair and orange goggles staring up at him, "I-I didn't mean to—it wasn't my fault I…I did nothing!" _

_The boy's face remained expressionless, "Exactly, and it doing so you betrayed your teammate…your other half. Those who don't take orders are scum, but those who ignore their teammates are lower than that." _

_Sasuke recognized those words…Kakashi had spoken them all those years ago when he himself was a genin, "Who are you?" _

_The boy smiled, "One of your ancestors…Obito Uchiha…ask Kakashi, he'll remember. It was from me he recived the Sharingan from when we were only kids. Now…I take my leave." The boy vanished into thin air, with him the ground Sasuke had been standing on. He forced his eyes open and saw a familier form just below him, he screamed her name, reaching out for her…but she was just out of his reach. The ground came up too fast and he was forced to watch her body break to pieces on the hard surface. _

_A fist slammed him into a wall, pinning him there by his throat…he couldn't breath! A cruel laughter filled his ears, "O-Orochimaru!" he managed to gasp. _

_The sanin laughed again, "Good guess Sasuke. You'll seek me out eventually…I didn't give you that curse mark for nothing you know." _

_The dream faded then cleared again. Sasuke ran through the Uchiha estate, a growing sense of urgency told him to hurry or he'd be too late. He skidded to a halt in front of a pair of double doors, "I know this room." He fists shook with fear and anger, "I know what lays beyond these doors." Yet he opened them, the scean played out before him._

_Itachi stood smirking, sword drawn. Inara knelt on the floor in front of him, "Sasuke," she whispered. The sword flashed down. _

"No!" Sasuke's breathing was ragged, this dream had been worst than the last. Sweat soaked the sheets of his bed, making them sticky and uncomfortable. Defeated, he peeled them off his body and headed for the shower.

**A Few Hours Later…**

Kakashi arrived at the memorial stone just as the sun began to rise above the treetops. It was routine for him, but this time he wasn't alone.

Sasuke sat on the ground buring an incense oil, respecting the dead. He stared blankly at the names that were carved into the black stone.

"Rough night?" Kakashi asked lighting his own incense.

Sasuke nodded and continued to stare. Minutes passed in pure silence as the animals started their day.

Sasuke closed his eyes and inhaled the smoke from the burning oil, "Who was Obito Uchiha?"

Kakahsi raised his visible eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"

Sasuke sighed and opened his eyes, "He spoke to me last night…in a dream. He made the same speech about teamwork that you did sensei. He said that you knew him and that's how you received the Sharingan."

The Jonin stared blankly at the memorial stone, "He was my teammate and my best friend. We were out on a misson, my first mission as a Jonin, and our teammate Rin was abducted. Well Obito insisted that we go and rescue her but I wanted to compleate the misson…nothing was more important than the mission. We seperated, he went to save Rin while I continued to track our targets. A few hours later I realized what a fool I had been and went to find Obito and Rin. We were discovered and a trap was laid out…a rockslide threatened to kill us all when Obito shoved me and Rin out of the way, but the rocks landed on him instead." Kakashi was silent for a few minutes. Sasuke could have sworn that he saw his teacher brush away a tear or two.

"It was then he offered my his Sharingan since I had lost my left eye when I came to help Rin. "I'll be your eyes Kakashi, I'll live on through you." That's what he said."

Teacher and student remained quiet in respect for the dead untill their inscence offerings burned out. Kakashi broke the silence first, "Don't you have a mission today?"

Sasuke rose from the dirt and nodded.

"Be careful Sasuke, the Akatsuki are stirring again."

The Uchiha nodded again and returned to the bridge to wait for Naruto.

**At a Small Village in the Land of Fire… **

"We'll stay here untill the demon is found." Said a short black haired man. The taller of the two looked inside, "Itatchi there's only two beds."

"Void can sleep on the floor,"

An eighteen year old girl burst into the room and leaped onto the closest bed and buried herself under the blankets.

Kisame blinked at the sudden act of childhood.

Itachi remained passive, "Well, looks like you'll be sharing Kisame. I wouldn't try to shove her off if I were you." He crossed the room, removing his cloak to stare out the window.

The swordsman sat at the head of the bed, leaving the bottom for the demon container. He could hear her purring happily under the warm sheets. _She acts more like a cat than a dragon…_

"Kisame come here," said the elder Uchiha suddenly.

The swordsman rose from the bed to join his partner at the window.

"Look down there." Itachi pointed out the window of the hotel room, down to the road that led to it.

An odd looking trio walked down the dirt road and started towards the hotel. It was late in the day and they were probably looking for a room to stay the night. An older man with long white hair led the way. His clothing was odd with a red vest. Then came a blonde in a red and black jumpsuit. He seemed to be arguing with the elder man about something while a black haired teen brought up the rear. Like the blonde he wore a green Chunin vest.

Kisame looked at his teammate, "So what? It's probably some grandpa taking his grandkids on vacation. Nothing we need to worry about."

Itachi continued to stare, "No Kisame. That man is not their grandfather, he's Jariya the Toad Sage, one of the Three Sanin. The blonde is our target, the container for the Kyuubi demon…and the third…is my little brother."

AN: Dear God I have been totally swamped! Okay so most of you know how I show horses for the local county fair, well that's in less than two weeks and I still don't have all my projects done!! starts screaming and on top of that I've got marital arts to worry about and my foal to work with and books to read/write. gasp I have no time anymore! I thought you were supposed to kick back and relax in the summer, not work untill you fall over dead!


	29. RememberWho You Are

AN: Whoohoo

AN: Whoohoo! The part I've been waiting to write is coming up really quickly! I can't wait! Um…Fair is about a week away and I'm still scrambling to get ready that's why it took me so long to update this chapter and "First Sighting." I'm so not looking forward to the new school year because my best friend moved and will be attending a different school so I won't be able to see her everyday like normal. cries I miss her so much already! She's the one I bounce ideas off of, now all I have to rely on are my sisters and they don't watch Anime!! I guess I could turn to you guys in my time of need…okay first question…should I make a totally…um…dare I say erotic scene? I've been reading some books and ran across this kind of material completely without looking for it and almost tossed it out the window when a scene started forming in my head for later in the story. So I'm asking you guys since I don't want to torture my little sisters and my best friend is out of my contact. Again the question was, should I attempt to write a hot sex scene or should I just shut up and hide in a corner? this may or may not bump up my rating to PG-17 instead of just PG-13, and on another note, I do not encourage that kind of behavior…just so you guys know…seriously guys…wait till marriage

AN2: man that was a long AN.

Disclaimer: insert funny way to deny ownership of Naruto here

**Remember…Who You Are…**

(I gotta stop stealing my titles from Disney movie quotes)

(This one was Mufasa from Lion King)

Tsunade pushed a stack of chips to the center of the table, "I'll raise you ten thousand," the sanin grinned. Shizune's heart threatened to stop. That was all the money that the medic Nin had just _barely _managed to win at the slots. Now she was about to lose it all in a game of cards!

"L-Lady Tsunade, perhaps you should rethink your offer," her assistant urged. Tonton the pig oinked with concern and agreement.

The Sanin chuckled and swung the necklace around her neck in a circle, "Relax Shizune. With this hand, there's no way I could lose."

The three men sitting around the table grinned and shoved all their chips forward as well. "Alright lady, read 'em and weep, four aces," said the first.

"Four tens," said the second." Now it was Tsunade's turn.

"Ha ha! Full House!" she laid her cards down for the men to see. Shizune face vaulted to the floor.

All three men burst out laughing, slamming their fists down on the table, upsetting the carefully stacked piles of plastic chips, "We're playing Rummy lady! Not poker!" said the third, who laid down his hand, the highest scoring at the table, and began raking in his winnings.

Tsunade's mouth fell open, how did she lose? She was almost positive a Full House was a playable hand in Rummy! "I demand a rematch!" she shouted, pounding her fist on the green felt table.

The men looked at each other, "Sure thing lady, got anymore money?"

"Uhhh…Shizune run!" Both women bolted for the door before the men could rise from their chairs.

"GET BACK HERE WITH MY MONEY!" the winner of the previous game shouted. But it was no good; both medics were long gone.

**Small Hotel in Some Small Village…**

Jiraiya slid the cardkey through the slot to open the door to the room that he, Naruto and Sasuke had been assigned by the receptionist. Like Itachi and Kisame before them, the Konoha ninja immediately noticed the number of beds to people was subtracted one.

"Well I call one due to my bad back," said Jiraiya rubbing the base of his spine. Both Chunin rolled their eyes and had a rock-paper-scissors contest for the remaining bed. Sasuke lost and accepted defeat by rolling a spare sleeping mat out on the far end of the room.

Naruto began unpacking his belongings; it seemed that they would be staying there for awhile so he might as well make himself comfortable. Carefully he removed each weapon and placed it on the bed so he could see that nothing was missing. The piles included kunai and shuriken of multiple sizes, exploding tags, scrolls, oil filled orbs for lighting fires, water bottles, a medic kit, a hundred feet of Nin wire and two cherry poles roughly three feet in length, each with two notches at the ends.

Sasuke eyed the identical sticks curiously and picked one up, "What the heck is this?" he asked, tossing it end for end in the air.

Naruto snatched it mid-flip and picked up its partner. He lined the notches up and shoved the two sticks together at the ends and twisted them so the cuts disappeared. The new weapon was six feet tall and heavy. The blonde smiled, "Like it? I picked it up during my last mission."

The Uchiha looked the Bo staff over carefully; the design was amazing, collapsible for easy storage yet sturdy to withstand the blows of combat. "You certainly got your money's worth."

Naruto grinned and took the weapon apart and placed his items back into his pack incase they needed to move suddenly and without warning though the possibility was unlikely.

Sasuke dug through his pack of clothes and took out his blue and black swimming trunks, "Well I'm going to do some laps in the pool." Jiraiya was already asleep on his bed, snoring loudly. Naruto rolled his eyes and gave him the signal to get out of there and get his exercise.

Sasuke turned the key to the locker that held his stuff and went to look for a towel or two. Subconsciously he tugged at the waist of his swimming suit to bring it back up to the desired height.

_Hm…these fit last summer. I must have finally lost those few extra pounds of baby fat. _He went to tighten the drawstrings only to realize that they weren't able to tighten any further.

_Oh well, they'll be fine for one use at least. _He slid his room key through the card slot and pushed the door open. Loud screams of delight almost made him stumble backwards, "Yeesh, you think some people would learn to keep it down." He spotted the offender, an eighteen-year old girl in a small black bikini. With her, was an odd looking man with a bluish hue to his skin.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and ignored them. Was it too much to ask to have a quiet swim by himself? The girl shrieked again, Sasuke's temper was beginning to wear thin when the silence of being underwater helped him regain his calm. Activating his Sharingan so he could see clearer in the chemically treated water, the Chunin ran through his usual water exercises.

A body burst through the waters surface, clouding Sasuke's vision with a curtain of bubbles. The bubbles stuck to the girl like a cloak of air as she unfolded herself gracefully from her tucked position. Sasuke glared at her, she had almost sent him to the bottom of the twelve foot deep pool. His glare turned into a look of amazement as the stranger twisted and turned through the water like a dolphin at home in the sea. Her jet black hair twined itself around her shoulders and arms, looking more like ink than hair.

Suddenly very aware of his need for air, Sasuke shot towards the surface, panting for breath. He deactivated his Sharingan, couldn't have himself being recognized, and swam to the ledge of the pool. Hauling his dripping self out of the water was easy enough but quickly grasping the waist of his trunks to avoid losing them do to the weight of the water while supporting himself was not. Luckily his hipbones stopped them before they came off completely.

From the opposite side of the pool he heard a familiar laugh. Looking around quickly, the Uchiha only saw the blue man and the girl…who had slit ice blue eyes!

"Inara?" he breathed, he heart was racing and not because of the workout he had just completed. Quickly he shook his head to rid himself of such a foolish idea. Inara was dead and there was nothing he could do to change that. But he couldn't stop himself from sneaking one last look at the blue eyed girl.

Noticing his gaze, the teenager dove beneath the waters surface and swam within touching distance of her male companion.

"What's wrong Void?" Kisame asked.

The girl was silent, "That man was looking at me funny." She whispered.

The swordsman turned to look, but Sasuke had vanished.

**Hotel Room 384…**

The Uchiha stumbled through the door dripping wet with his towel wrapped around his waist. Naruto noticed his teammate's return and raised a blonde eyebrow, "What happened to you? It looks as if you've just seen a ghost."

Sasuke shrugged and grabbed a clean set of clothes before locking himself in the bathroom to take a steaming hot shower. Naruto went back to watching television. It wasn't long before he heard the water start running.

He didn't know how long he had stayed in under the stream of scalding water. But he felt better once the warm water began to bring life back to his deadened limbs. Sasuke washed himself carefully, as if he were trying to scrub the experience in the pool from his skin. Only when his flesh was a healthy pink from the scouring it had received, did he turn off the water and reach for a towel to dry himself.

The double mirrors across from the shower were steamed up badly. Sasuke wrapped the towel around his waist and wiped a clear patch so he could view his reflection. Black eyes stared back at him, his raven black hair hung straight, almost touching his shoulders, giving way to sloping neck muscles that merged into his shoulders and upper torso. He turned his head to the right so he could better see his curse mark. He stared at it for a long time until it began to tingle uncomfortably. Sasuke placed his hand over the mark and cleared his thoughts with a few deep breaths before picking up a small pair of scissors that the hotel staff had left in the bathroom. He looked from the cutting instrument to the longest sections near his face. It wasn't long after when jet black strands of hair fell into the wastebasket below.

**Later That Night…**

Kabuto held his master's arm around his neck to aid him in the simple task of walking down the street. The Sanin's face was twisted in excruciating pain from his black, lifeless arms, "Damn that old man! Konoha will pay for their leader's poor decision!" he cursed under his breath.

"Sir, I don't mean to pry," said the medic nin, "But who exactly are we looking for? I've tried every solution I know to heal your arms and they've all failed miserably. How do you know that this person will be better than I?"

Orochimaru forced an evil grin, "Because Kabuto, we're not looking for any _ordinary _medic. We're looking for the Legendary Loser herself…Lady Tsunade."

Kabuto nearly dropped his master in surprise, "Tsunade?! But she's refused patients for the past five years! How do you know she'll treat you?"

"S-she's an old teammate of mine. Way back when I was just a genin, she, the Toad Sage Jiraiya and I were on a squad lead by the old man himself. If I pull the correct strings she'll treat an old friend."

Kabuto remained silent before the unthinkable forced its way out of his mouth, "And if she refuses?"

"Kabuto your an idiot, but I'll humor you. If Lady Tsunade refuses us, which she won't, the Sound Four will have their hands full trying to bring Sasuke to me sooner than I expected."

**The Next Morning…**

Naruto squinted to shield his eyes from the morning sunlight that poured through the open window in the dark hotel room. Slowly he forced himself to roll out of bed, nearly stepping on Sasuke's sleeping form as he did. Half asleep, he stumbled to the shower to wash away yesterdays dirt and grim from traveling. The blonde stretched and yawned as the water heated up enough for him to get in.

Dirt, sweat, stiffness and cramps were washed down the drain with the non-scented soap. When the Uzumaki had finished, he felt much better, almost as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Pulling on an orange t-shirt and zipping up his red and black jacket before heading down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

The room was scarce of people, it was too early for most people to be awake anyway, but training with Kakashi had programmed his body to wake itself and the most ungodly of hours. Naruto piled his plate high with muffins, fruit and waffles before sitting down at a corner table near an open window.

A cool breeze wafted through, heavy with the scent of dew and wet grass. The blonde ate in silence thinking things over to himself when Sasuke entered the room, took notice of him and began getting his own food.

The room was slightly fuller now when Sasuke finally sat down across from his teammate to eat.

Naruto broke the awkward silence first, "So…how'd you sleep?" His teammate shrugged, "Well enough for being tormented with nightmares."

"Again? Sasuke your running yourself ragged. Maybe you should go get a psyche evaluation when we're done with our mission."

Sasuke sighed, "I know, I've been thinking that too. But being hooked up to that weird machine and having Ibiki asking you so many questions that you forget your own name is an experience I'd rather not go through. I'll just make an appointment with Ino as soon as I can."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sasuke, you know your sessions with Ino aren't doing you any good. Sure she's Ibiki's student, but you can't get the same results from a trainee than from the professional."

The Uchiha was silent as he ate, not wanting to point out the truth in his friend's statement. He'd been going to Ino for mental evaluations and therapy since he had hit Sakura so hard he hand nearly landed her in the hospital. But despite the Yamanaka's best efforts, he was still a mental wreck. Sasuke's curse mark throbbed suddenly, making him drop what he was eating and grasp the back of his neck.

Naruto noticed, "Sasuke what's wrong?" there was a new tone of urgency in his voice that hadn't been used in a very long time.

"I-It's nothing…the mark is just acting up again. No big deal, I can handle it."

The blonde glared at him, "No, you can't. Remember what Kakashi sensei told you about that seal? It's only as strong as you want it to be…you've been activating it haven't you!"

The Uchiha shushed him before anyone else could hear, but it was too late, people were already staring, "Look, I'll do what I think is best. I know I can control it so you don't have to worry. I'm not going to lose it like I did in the Forrest of Death alright? So cool it."

Naruto glared at him, "Fine, but if you _do _go nutso-berserk I'm telling Sensei and he'll make you undergo some painful sealing ritual."

Sasuke stabbed a hash brown with his fork, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture. Hey—what're you looking at?" Sasuke twisted around in the chair to see what his teammate had his eyes glued on.

"Black haired beauty at ten o'clock." Muttered the blonde under his breath. Sasuke snorted, "Don't you have a girlfriend baka?"

The Uzumaki smirked, "What? Its not like I'm going to make a move on her. I'm just looking."

The Uchiha snuck another look over his shoulder. Her inky black hair hung down to the middle of her back like a velvet curtain. Her waist was small, complemented by a pair of tight waisted pants. It was when she reached up to grab a glass for her orange juice was Sasuke forced to look away.

"Her shirt's too small," he commented, delving back into his food.

Naruto laughed, "I think that's the point. Miss…excuse me miss?!" he called waving to the black haired stranger. Sasuke tensed immediately, "You idiot! What are you doing? Don't call her over here!"

"Why not?" Naruto argued, "C'mon man. I'm sick of seeing you moping around. Maybe a new girlfriend would do you some good."

"I don't _want_ another girlfriend. Why can't you understand that there was only one person for me and they're gone!"

The screeching of a wooden chain on the linoleum floor nearly cut Sasuke off mid-sentence. The girl set her tray of food down and sat at the table. Naruto got up, "Well I'll leave you two alone for a bit."

The black haired Chunin glared at his teammate and mouthed the words, _I'm going to kill you._ He turned back to the girl and froze, "L-look I'm really sorry my friend called you over here like that. He's a little screwed up in the head if you know what I mean." The girl continued to stare at him, "Uh…ok…so…wait a second, weren't you the one from the pool last night?"

She smiled and nodded, "Void likes to swim. Ita-chan doesn't like water very much so Fishy-Kun took her instead."

Sasuke nodded, "Fish-kun is the man that was with you last night?"

The girl nodded again, "He and Ita-chan take care of Void while we travel to look for special people to join our club. Ita-chan says that I wasn't the special one that he and Fishy-kun were looking for but he said I could help!"

"Uh…okay?" _She acts like an eight year old…what the hell was Naruto thinking? _"So your name is Void?"

The girl smiled, "Yep! My ring has my name on it see?" she held out her left hand for Sasuke to see. The Kanji on it read "Void."

"Hm…nice. Does everyone have a ring like this?"

Void beamed and nodded, "Uh huh! Ita-chan and Fishy-kun have them too!" she jerked her head to the side to move her bangs from her eyes, revealing a jagged scar on her face.

Sasuke dropped his fork with a loud clatter, "H-how'd you get that scar?"

Void blushed deeply and covered her eye, "Ita-chan is always telling Void how she's clumsy. Jask-chan and I were running through the woods when a stick flew back and hit Void in the eye. It happened along time ago…I don't remember it…but Jaskie-kun does! He's always with me…but not today. He had to stay home with Leader. So that's why its just Void, Ita-chan and Fishy-kun."

Sasuke heard his name being called, he turned abruptly and groaned when he saw Jiraiya beckoning him out of the cafeteria. He turned back to Void, "Sorry but I have to go now. It was nice meeting you though." He took his tray in one hand and ruffled Void's hair with the other, making her giggle. He threw away his trash and headed for the door, _I must be outta my mind…that actually wasn't all that bad. _

Jiraiya was waiting for him back in the hotel room, tapping his foot impatiently, "Well now that lover-boy has decided to join us we can finally begin our mission," said the Toad Sage, "You two are too well known in the Land of Fire so…you're going to have to disguise yourselves." He handed Naruto and Sasuke a slip of paper each, "These are your new aliases.

"Sayomi, why the hell do I always get the weird names that no one's ever heard of before?" Sasuke groaned.

"Ohhh, Nami. I like this one. Its even better than the name I used when we went to the Wasteland Village." A cloud of smoke disappeared revealing a large chested blonde with liquid gold hair that drifted slightly into her eyes. Naruto, now Nami's eyes when wide with amazement, "Holy smokes! Sasuke check this out, they jiggle!" Nami cupped her breast in her hands and let them fall.

Sasuke slapped his forehead, "Idiot! You've been female before, why would this time be any different?"

Naruto put on the cutest look he/she could muster, "Because now I have parts! Oh wow, my butt moves too!"

Both Chunin heard a thud. Jiraiya lay on the floor twitching, his eyes the size of dinner plates with a stream of blood spurting from his nose, "S-so big…IT'S PERFECT!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You owe us for this Purvey Sage. _Orioke no Jutsu!_ (Sexy Jutsu) Raven black hair shortened to nearly three inches in length of Sasuke's head while his bangs shortened until the ends where level with his eyebrows. The result was a near pixie cut. The rest of the Jutsu wasn't as impressive as Naruto's but still sent the Toad Sage into a fit of spasms and blood loss.

When Jiraiya recovered he continued with the lay out of the mission, "Alright you two," his eyes were glue to the Chunin's chests.

"Hey Purvey Sage, our eyes are up here!" Naruto scolded.

"Oh, right, right, Tsunade is somewhere within this village and its up to us to find her and convince her to become the next Hokage. I'll do all the talking, you two just need to pose as my…models for my books while keeping an ear out for her location."

Nami nodded, "Sounds easy enough."

"Ah but there's a catch my dear pupil, the Akatsuki is looking for you Naruto and from what I could scrounge up, they are also in this village, which is why I decided to disguise you."

Sasuke glared, "Okay so make him cross-dress, why do I have to dress up like a prep?"

Jiraiya looked the Uchiha straight in the eye with a hard glare, "Because there are two members of the Akatsuki here and one of them is your brother."

Sasuke felt his hackles rise with anger, a growl started to bubble in the back of his throat, "Where is he!" he demanded, "Here in this Hotel? In another nearby, I'm going to kill that murdering bastard!"

The Toad Sage cuffed him on the back of the head, "Not with me in charge of you you're not! You have a mission to complete Sasuke. Family matters are going to have to wait! Besides, they're after Naruto, not you."

"What makes _him_ so special huh?!" The Uchiha shouted, "He should be looking for me! _I'm _the one he should be worried about! Why waste his time on Naruto?"

Jiraiya moved so quickly Sasuke didn't realize that he had been shoved up against the door until his was thoroughly trapped, "Because you self-centered crybaby, it's what's _inside _you're teammate they want. As soon as they get the nine-tailed fox they'll leave Naruto for dead if he hasn't died during the extraction ceremony!"

The Uzumaki's insides felt like ice, deep within himself he felt the Kyuubi chuckling, _let them try and get me. We'll show them what true power is Naruto. _The blonde shook his head to rid himself of the voice. He didn't like it when the Kyuubi spoke to him, it usually meant something very bad was about to happen.

Sasuke's anger cooled slightly but still boiled in the pit of his stomach, "Naruto, if we run into the Akatsuki, leave my brother to me."

**With Void, Itachi and Kisame…**

Itachi sat with his legs cross on the floor, his hands on his knees, watching a talisman spin erratically on the carpet in front of him, "Void, you're disturbing my reading, go wait in the hall." He ordered.

Void nodded and left the room without a sound so Itachi could read the charm in front of him. She heard the stone crack against a wall when it failed to produce the results that the Uchiha wanted.

"Its not logical, according to the talisman, the nine-tail fox is here…within a mile from where we are, but I haven't felt a disturbance in the chakra waves I set up around the hotel."

Kisame dared not laugh although he wanted to, "I told you not to trust that magic wench. I could have told you the talisman was a fake."

Itachi glared at him, "If the charm is a fake Kisame, then how did it lead us to Void?" he argued.

"Ah but it wasn't Void we were looking for now was it? She was just a nice little bonus."

Itachi's temper flared though it didn't show on his calm features, "Void," he hissed, "Gather your equipment; it's time you make yourself useful for once."

The girl gripped the black leather strings in her teeth to tighten her braces until they were snug against her flesh. A sadistic grin replaced the innocent smile that she commonly wore when she wasn't about to go into battle. Now that her prey was near, her instincts took over and the predator was on the hunt.

Itachi threw his cloak over his shoulders while Kisame helped Void into hers. Unlike the other members of the Akatsuki, she didn't wear it in public, only in battle. Kisame waited by the door while Void sheathed and unsheathed the blades in her weapons. A pair of kali sticks were hidden under her clothing incase her main weapons broke or her target was too far to reach with them.

The trio left their room to go to the lobby. They hadn't gone down more than two floors when Void stopped in her tracks. Itachi was the first to notice, "What is it Void?" he face remained passive as it always did but the calm in his voice cracked slightly.

The girl starred directly in front of her where a white haired man was chatting with two women, a blonde and a raven. Void blinked once and pointed at the blonde with a trembling hand.

Kisame smirked and reached for Samehada when the Uchiha stopped him, "Don't be a fool, drawing your sword in here will only alert them of our intentions."

"Well, well, well," said the Toad Sage, "If it isn't Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha. What brings you two here?" The black haired woman tensed at Itachi's name, her mouth curled into a silent snarl.

"You know very well what we want Jiraiya," Itachi said in a smooth voice, "Our only problem is whether or not you're going to surrender it quietly."

The Toad Sage smirked, "You're a fool Itachi if you think I'm just going to hand over my student so easily. You're just going to have to take your little pity party somewhere else."

Kisame laughed, "Ha, we're not going anywhere without that demon! Void, fetch!"

The girl sprang from the shadows where she had been lurking while her guardians had been distracting Jiraiya. Naruto turned in alarm to find the girl not three feet from him when a blur of black blocked the girl's attack.

The blades of Void's arm braces where locked in place by Garyuu, behind it, Sasuke struggled to keep the sword from being ripped from his hands. The black haired girl smirked and wrenched her arms free while jumping back, hitting the wall and launching herself forward again, knocking Garyuu to the side. Steel blades rakes across Sasuke's chest, breaking his Jutsu so he returned to his normal form, four long gashes had shredded his shirt leaving slight scrapes.

Void laughed and licked the blood off of one of the blades, "Your blood…it tastes good."

Sasuke looked in the direction of his discarded sword, Void stepped in its direction indicating that she would let him nowhere near it. The black haired girl lunged again, aiming for Naruto but was blocked again by Sasuke. Sparks danced in midair when steel scraped against steel.

Void glared at the blade tonfa that block her path between her and her prey. She shoved back with all her strength, knocking Sasuke off balance. The younger Uchiha stumbled while his fingers grasped a small glass orb from his pocket. The glass shattered on the floor releasing a purple cloud of smoke. He heard screams of pain as the smoke did its work, blinding his opponent while he was blinded only by his headband to escape his own attack.

Void's eyes burned and watered, she had to remind herself to breathe constantly, but even the smell of the smoke burned her nostrils and lungs. She had to get fresh air or she'd die of suffocation. _Futon: Daitoppa _(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) The cloud of smoke was blown away letting Void breath easier and clear out the poison in her body.

Sasuke stood stunned, _T-that Jutsu…I only know one person who could use it…but it can't be! _Sasuke threw his arms up to avoid another attack of similar caliber. His clothing was singed but no major damage had been done.

Void growled, "Why won't you die?!" she hissed, no prey had been this difficult to kill before, _Futon: Tatsu no Oshigoto! _( Wind Release: Severing Pressure)

Debris from all around swirled around Sasuke, cutting him like tiny blades from every direction. He dared to open one crimson eye, "_Kaze Geashi!" _(Wind Counter) Using his tonfa blades, the younger Uchiha managed to cut through the tornado, breaking the Jutsu.

Void roared in anger, "Void is not playing with you any more!" she screamed, "_Hyoton: Kokuryu Bofusetsu! _(Ice Release: Black Dragon Outburst Snowstorm) Twin black dragons with red eyes tore down the hall freezing the water pipes in the walls and making them explode. Water flooded the floor within seconds as the dragons raced directly for Sasuke. The younger Uchiha's fingers twitched, he was timing the dragons so his next Jutsu wouldn't be wasted, "_Raizo Ikazuchi wo Utte!" _(Thunderbolt Strike) The ice dragons disintegrated on contact. Void had no time to block the attack before it slammed into her and sent her crashing through the wall. She struggled to her knees, wincing in pain but collapsed in the inches of water.

Sasuke was at her side in a second making sure that he hadn't over done it and killed the girl. He winced when he saw the burns his Jutsu had caused, and had been amplified by all the water on the floor.

Tears flowed from Void's eyes and into the water she lay in, "I-it's just like Itachi-san said…I am useless." She sniffed.

Sasuke knelt down beside her, "No, that's not true…Inara."

Void blinked in surprise at hearing her real name again, "S-Sasuke? N-Naruto?" Searing pain shot through Inara's skull making her scream out in pain, clutching her head as she writhed in agony.

A fist caught Sasuke under the jaw and sent him flying back toward Naruto and Jiraiya. He finally stopped when he hit a wall with a dull thud, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Kisame held Inara in his arms while she squirmed in pain, screeching loudly and clawing at her skull.

"What have you done to her?!" Naruto, now looking like his usual self, demanded.

"We haven't done anything, Void is…remembering and the pain of that is starting to take its toll. If we don't get her to Zetsu soon, she will die." Itachi muttered.

Sasuke shook with rage, "Let her go!" he hissed.

Itachi smirked, "I don't think so little brother. Inara is a member of the Akatsuki now and like it or not, she stays with me."

Sasuke growled audibly, he had just gotten Inara back, he wasn't about to lose her again, and to the person he hated most in the world, "_Chidori!_" Before anyone could stop him, Sasuke activated his Jutsu and sped down that hall. There was a large explosion as a wall gave way under the stress of the Jutsu.

Sasuke grunted in pain, Itachi's nails were digging into his skin, "H-how did you…?"

Itachi blinked once, activating his Sharingan. Sasuke yelled in rage and produced another Chidori with his free hand. The elder Uchiha blocked that too, and twisted his wrist ever so slightly; the result was a loud snap.

Sasuke screamed in pain when Itachi let go. His wrist had been broken, Naruto could see, from the way the hand hung limply from the arm.

Sasuke felt cold fingers wrap around his throat and hoist him in the air, pinning him to the wall. He clawed at his brother's fist with his good hand, completely ignoring the pain from the broken one. He gasped for air as Itachi leaned in closer so only he could hear what he was about to say.

"I am going to show you what I did our parents that night ten years ago." He whispered. Crimson eyes snapped open, tomes began spiraling in a circle around his pupil as the horror began.

_Sasuke was falling, how high and from he didn't know. Everything was black when he landed in something wet and sticky. He kicked hard to get to the surface and held up his hand, it was stained red with blood. _

_Horrified, he tried to swim to the shore, anywhere to get away from the red liquid. Suddenly it all vanished and he was falling again. He landed with a hard thud on dirt. _

_"Why didn't you do something?" asked a small voice. Sasuke looked about him but saw no one. _

_"Why didn't you save them? Why? It's all your fault!" the voice cried. Sasuke recognized it now, it was his voice from when he was a child. He looked down and saw himself wiping tears from his face. He knelt down and tried to consol his younger form but it slapped his hand away and glared at him with cold black eyes, "You could have done something!" it screamed, "You could have done anything! But no, you had to run away like a coward!" _

_Sasuke backed away when his younger self began laughing manically with a crazed look in his eyes, "That's right Sasuke, run, run away; it's all you'll ever do! Abandon me like you abandoned mom and dad!" _

_Sasuke fled, he kept running until he came to a pair of sliding double doors. He knew theses doors, he knew what lay beyond them, but still he reached out with trembling hands and opened them. _

_Itachi stood over the body of his dead parents both had been decapitated. Buzzards were already picking at the still warm remains. His mothers head rolled when two of the birds began to squabble, it stopped at his feet. _

_"Sasuke, why? Why didn't you come home Sasuke?" shrieked the head. It was then joined by that of his fathers, "Why can't you be more like your brother Sasuke? Itachi mastered the fireball Jutsu already, why can't you? Itachi graduated from the academy at your age, why aren't you a genin yet Sasuke?" mocked the head of his father. _

_Sasuke closed his eyes and shook his head, "No, no, no, its not real…its not real…its not my fault…its not real!" _

_'__**Oh its very real Sasuke.'**__ Said Itachi's voice inside his head, __**'This is the path you've chosen for yourself. Open your eyes Sasuke, and see your future.' **_

_As much as he didn't want to, the younger Uchiha pried his eyes open, what he saw was far worse than anything he had seen so far. _

_Inara held a small raven haired baby in her arms, she looked happy. An arm was wrapped around her waist. Then the baby began to cry, "oh," said Inara, "he wants his daddy." She handed the baby to the man who took it gently. Itachi held the newborn carefully as if afraid to break it. The babe stopped crying and the elder Uchiha leaned over to kiss Inara full on the mouth. _

_A flicker of movement caught his eye. A swarming mass of crows were eating something. Sasuke shooed them away and screamed in horror at what he saw. It was himself, dead on a chair with his throat cut. His eyes were gone as a result from the crows and the flesh was beginning to fall from his body. Frantically the real Sasuke looked from Inara and Itachi again to his corpse. He fell to his knees shrieking in horror, digging his nails in to his scalp. _

With Inara no longer trying to kill him, Naruto was finally able to move freely. He eyed Kisame cautiously, trying to anticipate what the fish-man would do. The Swordmaster was too busy trying to keep Inara from hurting herself to notice the blonde made a break for Garyuu, which lay on the floor almost forgotten. He snatched it up in one swift movement and rolled, to defend his back incase Kisame noticed what he was doing, he didn't. Jiraiya was muttering something under his breath, probably preparing a large scale attack on the Akatsuki members. Naruto would have to act fast if he was going to save his friend.

Itachi's grip on Sasuke's throat tightened, laboring the Chunin's breathing even more. The younger Uchiha was gasping like a fish out of water, his good hand frozen in place on his brother's fist. Black eyes were wide with horror or pain, Naruto couldn't tell which. The trickle of blood coming from Sasuke's mouth was beginning to flow more freely, indicating that internal damage had been done.

Naruto racked his brain for an idea, he couldn't stab Itachi without killing Sasuke in the process and the sword was heavy. The hilt was warm against his palms even though it had been minutes since the last person had touched it.

From behind Itachi's body, Naruto heard Sasuke gasp in pain. Naruto clamped his teeth together to prevent a growl from ripping through his throat; _I'm only going to have one shot at this! _The blonde charged down the hall, sword in hand, yelling loudly but neither Itachi nor Sasuke seemed to notice until the flash of metal interrupted the Mangekyo's effect and sent it back at its wielder.

"Gah!" Itachi gasped, the pain in his eyes intensified greatly forcing him to cancel his Jutsu. He stumbled back rubbing his eyes only to open them, revealing a blurry recreation of the hallway, "Kisame…grab Void and go!" he ordered, nearly running into a wall.

Sasuke slumped to the floor, Naruto caught him before he landed.

The Toad Sage's eyes snapped open, "Oh no you don't! _Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari!_" (Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind) Fleshy growths sprang up and around the three Akatsuki. Kisame took a hesitant step back, Inara had grown silent in his arms. Itachi glared through half blinded eyes, "_Amaterasu!_" (Shining Heaven) Black flames burst from the Uchiha's outstretched hand a leaped at the lining that blocked their path to freedom.

Jiraiya stood frozen in shock as the three walked through the black flames and made their escape. Naruto's shouting brought him back to his senses.

"Sasuke c'mon wake up already!" he shook his friend who lay completely still in his arms.

The raven haired Chunin's eyes were glassed over and seemed to be staring at nothing. Naruto waited five seconds…ten seconds…twenty seconds and Sasuke hadn't blinked even once. He pressed a finger to Sasuke's throat to see if he was even alive. A racing heartbeat confirmed it but didn't calm Naruto's fears. Sasuke was barely breathing and could stop at any moment. The blonde looked up at Jiraiya, "Purvey Sage, what's wrong with him? He won't wake up. He's alive…I know he is…I mean…besides the broken wrist Itachi didn't hurt him any…did he?"

Jiraiya knelt down and inspected the younger Uchiha's condition, "I don't know Naruto. It looked like he's suffering the effects of a very strong genjutsu. I've never seen anything like it." Swiftly he slung Sasuke's limp body over his shoulders, "Come, we'll need to check him into the hospital. As much as I hate to say it, Sasuke is out of action and the mission has been put on hold."

**Three Days Later…**

Inara screamed as the pain of having her memory etched back into her brain scoured her body. Kisame struggled to hold her legs down while Itachi fought with her arms, "Zetsu, hurry up with that remedy," he grunted as one of Inara's hands got loose and struck him in the face.

Zetsu approached the silver table with a large hypodermic needle in one hand. He squirted a little bit of the green liquid into the air to make sure the needle wasn't blocked.

"What the hell is that stuff?" asked Kisame.

The plant-human smiled, "A special little poison I've been _dying _to try out. It stops one's mental capacity from expanding so while she's taking this drug, she won't be able to learn anything new, however, it will also keep forgotten things forgotten."

"Is it dangerous?" Itachi asked.

Zetsu smiled, "Everything I make is dangerous, but I do have the antidote so our little Void won't be killed by it, it'll just stop her memories from returning. In the future I plan on putting the poison in her breakfast and the antidote in her lunch. If she skips lunch, the effects of the poison will kill her within three days. That way in the event that she does get some memory back, she won't have a choice but to stay with us if she wants to live."

Kisame rolled is eyes, Zetsu was so melodramatic these days, "Hurry up and give her the shot! My arms are going to give out here!"

Zetsu nodded and looked at Itachi who held one of Inara's arms completely still so the fluid could be injected into her bloodstream. A few minutes passed and the girl's thrashing stopped. Itachi and Kisame let go of her, then Zetsu escorted her to her room.

"Lunch will be in a few hours," he told her as he closed the door and locked it behind him.

**At A Small Hospital in An Unknown Village…**

Lights on machines blinked on and off, a rythematic beeping monitored Sasuke's heart rate that had finally returned to normal after a day and a half. But his eyes remained open and staring, his breathing was ragged as if he was choking on something.

Naruto refused to leave the room as he watched the thin green line spike with each beat of his best friend's heart. He sighed and sat down when his feet became too sore to support him any longer. A nurse came in to replace the IV bag, Naruto glared at her. She finished her work and quickly left the room. If Sasuke didn't need to be fed intravenously, Naruto would have complained to the front desk about the starry eyed nurses that always seemed to check in way too frequently.

_I guess it's a good thing that he's unconscious then. Sasuke would have a fit if he saw how many women where fussing over him. _The blonde scowled, why couldn't it be _him_ in the hospital? Why didn't the cute nurses ever linger over _him_? He shrugged the thought away, on second thought he'd rather be left alone.

Naruto looked back at the railed bed that held his friend. Sasuke hadn't moved in three days and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. They had mentioned a weak state of mind but Naruto knew the Uchiha wouldn't be making psychiatrist appointments with Ino if his mind was fine to begin with.

The Uzumaki jumped when he heard a gasp and rushed back to the side of the bed to see if Sasuke had woken up. The raven haired Chunin's eyes were wide with horror, the machine hooked up to his chest started beeping sporadically, triggering an alarm that brought a wave of doctors and nurses through the door with all sorts of medical paraphernalia. Naruto was shoved off to the side by one of the male doctors.

"He's going into shock! Get the paddles in here just in case! Strap him down; he's going into a seizure!"

Naruto's mouth when dry as needle after needle of narcotics where forcefully injected into Sasuke's arm. He had to look away when, despite the leather straps around his legs, chest and arms; Sasuke began shaking violently as the spasms took control of his muscles. Seconds seemed like hours before the shaking was reduced to slight twitches of the fingers and toes and the heart monitor slowed to its normal rate. One by one the doctors and nurses filtered out of the room, convinced that their patient was alright for now.

Naruto hovered over his friend, watching the twitching of his fingers as if he was trying to pull away from something painful. The blonde looked at Sasuke's eyes again, was it just him, or were they starting to clear? Naruto gasped when the eyes closed for a few seconds then slowly opened, a little clearer than they had been before. Sasuke had blinked! For the first time in three days he had moved on his own will!

"Jiraiya sensei!" Naruto hollered, "Jiraiya sensei come quick, its Sasuke! He's awake!" He tore down the hall to the lounge where he found the Toad Sage downing a cup of black coffee, which he spit out when he heard his student shouting. Together they sprinted back to the room.

"He blinked I saw it! That means he's going to be okay right?" asked Naruto.

Jiraiya monitored the machines with a grim expression on his face, "I don't know Naruto, let's wait and see if he does it again."

They waited for over an hour but the Uchiha didn't move, even the twitching in his fingers had stopped. Finally Jiraiya got up and went to get another cup of coffee when heard Naruto sigh, "But I saw it…I know I did."

The Toad Sage rested a hand on the Uzumaki's shoulder, "Listen…kid…sometimes if a person has been in a coma long enough, the body starts moving on its own. Blinking is just a natural action the body does whenever the eyes become too dry. I'm sorry but I don't think Sasuke has woken up just yet."

Naruto bit his lower lip in concentration, "Sensei…if he's in a coma…he can still hear me…right?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Maybe…maybe not. It wouldn't hurt to try but I'm not sure if he can respond just yet."

Naruto inched closer to the edge of the bed and rested his elbows on the mattress, "Sasuke…can you hear me? I know your in there somewhere." He paused, unsure of what to say next, "Blink twice if you can hear me."

There was no response for a few seconds before Sasuke's eyelids slowly began to close…and ever slower yet…flutter open.

The blonde waited on baited breath. That was one…just one more to go. He waited a full minute before he leaned back with an irritate growl. Jiraiya's gasp brought his attention back to his friend. Sasuke had blinked again. Naruto could barely contain himself, "Sasuke, did you just say you could hear me? Blink twice again if yes."

The Uchiha blinked again…twice, a little faster than before.

Naruto beamed and looked up at Jiraiya who folded his arms across his chest, "Well I'll be…good job Naruto. If he keeps this up he'll be talking again in no time."

It was another three hours before the Uchiha could register sounds and objects. After twenty-four hours he was able to talk…a little, and begin breathing on his own again. On the third day since his first response all the machines had been removed from the room except for the IV bag that the doctors refused to take out. Sasuke could sit up and eat with only a little help from Naruto or Jiraiya, his fine motor skills had been damaged but the doctors assured him that they would return with time. A full week had passed before Sasuke could be discharged from the hospital with a bottle of medications to prevent any more seizures incase he had a relapse.

Jiraiya insisted that he take it easy but Sasuke was pissed when Naruto filled him in on what had happened while Itachi had been attacking him. The blonde shuddered when his teammate glared at him, a chill raced down his spine as if someone had dropped an ice cube down his back. Something inside the Uchiha had changed while he had lain unresponsive in that hospital bed. There was a new edge to his voice that hadn't been there before, and his decisions were less planed out and were based more on sudden impulses. Naruto shook his head and tried to ignore these changes, but when you're best friend wanted nothing more to do with you…how could you ignore that? He'd be glad once this mission was over, maybe a break was all that Sasuke needed.

AN: Ok this chapter took me counts weeks about three weeks. Wow, it seemed like a lot longer than that. Anyway I did terrible at the Fair cause my horse refused to do anything I told her to do. She reared up, balked, refused to go, UGH! But I did walk away with a second, a third and a fourth, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. Now I have to start riding my buckskin mare Spirit again…shudders if I don't update for lets say…two months, you'll know she killed me. Oh and I just found out if I do write that whoo-hoo scene it would up my rating to PG-17 because I don't plan on phasing out when things start to get steamy. Oh no, you guys will get the whole shebang but that's only if I decide to write it or not. I really do want to write it because I think it would expand my writing abilities from childish to mature. Anyway I really need some feedback from you guys, I've been really down lately and I think I might be going into some slight bout of depression so I need you guys to help me out here…pweese?


	30. Orochimaru's Proposition

AN: Okay people here's the scoop, I've got a fever in the 100's so I'm a little delirious right now but I'm going to write any

AN: Okay people here's the scoop, I've got a fever in the 100's so I'm a little delirious right now but I'm going to write anyway because there's nothing better to do while I lay here on my couch suffering. Ugh that scene I've wanted to write keeps playing over and over in my head. It's getting quite annoying actually. Anyway, I'm going to try my best to keep everything sounding logical, but if my illness takes over I have no idea what the hell I'll end up writing. OMG I JUST REALIZED THAT THIS IS CHAPTER 30 OF ANOTHER DEMON! squeals in ecstasy

Disclaimer: The only way I would own Naruto is if I inherited it from Kishimoto Sensei and in order to do that I would have to be related to him somehow and I'm not Japanese so there goes that brilliant idea. gasps for air

**Orochimaru's Proposition **

Horse hooves thudded in rhythm as Void galloped a young roan mare. Kasaki watched from the shade of a nearby tree far away from the other spectators. Itachi, Kisame and Deidara sat patiently on the grass as they waited for the girl grow tired of her fun and want to head back to headquarters.

The blonde reached for another sushi roll and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Like the other two members of the Akatsuki, he too had shed the black cloak as the summer sun beat down on his head. With a sigh he leaned back on his hands to watch Void exercise the animal, "Young Void certainly had grown up. Being an artist myself I must say that she's quite the masterpiece, a truly beautiful work of art and a rarity at that."

Kisame shot Itachi a concerned look, but the Uchiha hadn't seen it.

"Deidara, may I remind you that Void is one of the nine demon containers _and_ a member of this organization. Violating her in anyway would result in your _permanent _removal," said Itachi in his usual monotone.

Deidara smirked, "I was only joking Itachi. No need to get your feathers ruffled hm?"

Kiename glared at the blonde from across the small patch of grass, "Nevertheless, Void was placed under our care so if you get any ideas transvestite, you'll have to deal with me, Itachi and that Jask character."

Deidara grimaced slightly before reaching into the pouch at his side and produced a small clay bird. It hopped on his hand for a short while before taking flight towards Void and Kasaki. "Katsu." He mumbled. The bird exploded, spooking Void's horse making it shy violently to the right. The girl flew to the left and landed with a heavy thud in to dirt as the horse vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Deidara could barely contain himself soon he was laughed so hard it hurt his stomach, but Kisame didn't look amused. Itachi didn't even bat an eyelash as Kasaki rushed to Inara's side to make sure she was alright. Void was giggling like a five year old that had seen a good magic trick, "Again Deidara-kun, again!" she shouted.

Convinced that the girl was just fine, Kasaki turned his rage to its source, "What the hell did you think you were doing?!" he shouted at he narrowed the space between himself and Deidara, "Do you realize you could have killed her?!"

The blonde narrowed his visible eye, "Relax man, I only put enough chakra in that one to make a loud bang. It wouldn't have left a scratch on her even if it had landed."

Kasaki growled and hoisted Deidara up by the collar of his shirt, "I was talking about the horse you moron! What if it had stepped on her? Next time think before you light one of your explosives around a flight animal!" he hissed.

Deidara was about to spit out a comeback when a 'he's got a point' glare came from Itachi's general direction, "Hm," he snorted, "You should just be glad I waste my art on that child." He yanked his shirt loose from Kasaki's grasp and snatched up his cloak, "I'm going back; Sasori and I have a mission later anyway. We're going after the one tailed Shukaku demon."

**Later That Evening…**

Kasaki sat with Inara in her room, reading to her from her favorite book. The teenager insisted on sitting in his lap as he read. He had just finished the book when a gentle knock alerted the demon of a third's presence. Carefully he set Inara on her bed, "Stay here Hatchling, Itachi what's to have a word with me." He kissed her forehead like a caring older brother, "Get ready for bed now…it's late."

Inara nodded and changed into a baggy white shirt and snuggled underneath the blankets, "Night, night Jaskie-chan!" Kasaki smiled and tucked her in, stroking her hair.

The knock came again, louder this time. Kasaki rolled his eyes, "I'm coming, I'm coming," he growled under his breath. He stepped out into the hall, closing the door quietly behind him, "What do you want Itachi?"

The Uchiha nodded down the hall, "Follow me, where Void can't hear." They both walked stride for stride silently down the hall.

"As you know Jask, Void is an extremely important member of this organization. And I speak for the _entire_ organization when I say that the amount of contact you have with her is…well unacceptable."

Jask froze in his tracks, "What? Are you saying I can't be with her? I'm all she has left! You take me away from her and there's no telling what she'll do!"

Itachi stopped and turned to face him, "That is a risk that we're willing to take. We have our own methods of keeping her calm. But your immediate removal is immanent." Two shadows materialized out of nowhere taking hold of Kasaki's arms.

"Hey, what the-?! Let me go!"

Hidan and Kakuzu tightened their grips around his arms and dragged him into a seemingly empty room with a large nine eyed statue. Two of the nine eyes were glowing a bright light, providing the only source of light in the entire room. On the floor drawn in blood was a sealing circle.

Jask saw it and struggled even harder against his captors, if they were planning on doing what he was thinking they were doing, he was in huge trouble.

Hidan and Kakuzu shoved him into the center of the sealing circle and held him while Itachi and Kisame clamped a pair of shackles to his wrists that were chained to the floor. They moved back when finished and took their places around the room. Deidara, Zetsu, the Akatsuki leader and a member Kasaki had never seen before where with the four that had taken him hostage. Simultaneously they all began chanting. One of the black holes in the statues head began glowing as the circle too began glowing an eerie green.

Kasaki's eyes widened with horror, "Oh man, I'm not liking this!" he tested the strength of the chains, but they refused to give, "Hey uh, guys? Is that supposed to be happening?!"

Pein chuckled, "Relax Kasaki, it'll all be over soon."

"What are you-?" A sharp pain started in his brain and traveled down his spine, setting his whole body on fire. He screamed out in agony, pulling for all he was worth against the chains. He could almost feel his soul being pulled away from his body, he fell to his knees, a human scream deepened as a dragon's roar tore from his throat against his will.

Itachi smirked, "That's right, show your true colors seven tailed dragon."

The color began to drain from Kasaki's human body as his true form was pulled away from it, leaving the body like a cast off shell. He tried to keep hold of the physical body but the strength of the pull was much stronger than he. Kasaki's tail spikes hadn't even cleared his human shell when his ghost was sucked into the statue. He gave one last scream of pain before he was silenced…forever. The third eye on the statue flashed a bright green then faded back to the white glow that provided light in the room.

**Meanwhile…**

Sasuke stormed down the streets to the same town the he and Naruto and Jiraiya had been staying in for the past fucking month and still they hadn't seen a sign of the woman they were looking for.

"Relax Sasuke, we aren't in any rush," Jiraiya had said, "Kick back and enjoy the scenery."

_Hmph, easy for him to say when he surrounded by well paid whores! _The Uchiha kicked a large rock, sending it crashing through an abandoned building's window. Glass shattered much to his pleasure as he continued down the street. He was halfway back to the food district when he felt a familiar presence creeping silently behind him. Sasuke smirked when the person shrunk behind a trashcan to avoid being seen.

"You can come out Naruto, I already know you've been tailing me since I left the damn hotel."

The blonde gave an irritated sigh, "Yeah I know, but I still wanted to see what you were up to. You're not acting like yourself Sasuke. After that fight with your brother…well…it feels like your trying to avoid me."

Sasuke snorted, "Wow, I knew blondes were stupid but you take the cake baka." Naruto glared at him, "Am I allowed to ask why?"

The Uchiha growled, "No, but since you did already I might as well tell you so you can leave me the hell alone. I don't want to see you, hear you, hell I don't even want to _smell_ you! Why the hell would my brother be more interested in you than me? _I'm_ the one who's going to destroy him. _I'm_ the reason he should be looking over his shoulder every day to make sure I'm not there holding a kunai to his fucking neck!" he spat.

Naruto's fists trembled in rage as Sasuke turned his anger on him yet again.

"Why don't you just give them that damn thing!" he pointed at Naruto's stomach where the seal throbbed in warning, "You'd do us one hell of a favor if you just abandoned that demon and everything could go back to normal!"

The blonde's control over his anger slipped. His fist smashed into his teammates jaw, knocking him back into a brick wall. "Look damnit!" he snarled, pinning Sasuke there by the neck, "You think I _want_ this…this _thing_ inside me? You try going to sleep every night and wondering if you'll wake up as yourself the next morning! Those bastards can have the damned thing as far as I'm concerned! Or maybe you want it? You'd like that wouldn't you? You'd abuse the power like you already do with your curse mark! It's taking control of you Sasuke! You're not yourself anymore, what happened to my best friend? I don't know who the hell you are now but I want my friend back damn it!" Naruto gave Sasuke on final shove before he released his grip on his neck.

The Uchiha coughed and gasped for air, rubbing his sore throat as Naruto stomped back to the hotel. He sighed angrily and slammed his fist in to the brick wall. A loud crack resulted, followed by even louder cursing when Sasuke pulled his arm back to nurse his fractured fist.

**The Next Day…**

"Wha-what do you mean Ita-chan? Why isn't Jaskie-kun coming home?" tears spilled over Void's eyelids and fell down her cheeks, leaving behind long wet streaks.

"I'm not sure why Void. But I think it's time that you got on without him anyway."

Inara shook her head violently, "But Void doesn't wanna! Void wants Jask now!" she demanded as more tears threatened to flood her eyes.

"Maybe we should have weaned her off of the demon instead of making her quit him cold-turkey." Kisame whispered to Itachi. The elder Uchiha shook his head slightly as Inara rubbed her eyes with her fists, "its better this way, he can't fight us now that he's sealed away. She'll get over it eventually, it was a clean break, she'll heal swiftly. Things like this just take time."

It went as Itachi said it would. Inara healed quickly but she didn't heal in the correct way, sort of like how a bone sets wrong and heals crooked, leaving a noticeable lump under the skin. She became more distant and hardly ever laughed, or smiled for that matter. Her sapphire blue eyes were dull, emotionless pools of emptiness. Kisame shuddered whenever he was near her; she was too much like Itachi now to feel comfortable with.

Zetsu skidded back to a slow stop, grinding his teeth together when the effects of Inara's Jutsu began to take effect. He grimaced in pain, clutching the wound in his side made by the bladed arm braces.

Void straightened up from her crouch and stared at Zetsu with soulless eyes while bringing the blood covered blades up to her nose to sniff. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. She flicked the blood off and advanced again, with a killing intent.

Zetsu backed away as she cornered him against the arena wall; he had nowhere else to run. He considered throwing one last desperate Jutsu at her but realized he was out of chakra. She was feet away from him, an arm rose into the air to slice through his flesh…to finish him where he stood, when a cold voice distracted her.

"Void…that's enough." Pien murmured from the entrance to the battle arena.

Inara stopped in her tracks, and lowered her arms, "What makes you think I'll listen to you Pein?" she asked in a haunted monotone that would have sent shivers down anyone's spine.

The auburn haired leader was behind her faster than Zetsu could blink, "I control you Void. It was my decision to bring you here and I can take you out just as easily." He thrust a kunai to the base of her neck to prove his point.

Inara growled silently, not letting the noise escape her lips. She shrugged once and turned slowing to face the Akatsuki leader, "You don't control me Pein, Void does what Void wants. Just you wait," she laughed without the light reaching her eyes, "Just wait…I will kill you." She shoved past him and exited the battle arena.

Zetsu slumped to the floor, sweat and the smell of his fear rolling off him. Pein watched her go with narrowed eyes, "On your feet Zetsu. I want you to increase her dosage by a serving and give it to her twice a day."

**Small Unknown Village…**

"Are you sure you sent the summons Kabuto?" Orochimaru hissed as his apprentice changed the bandages around his blackened, dead arms.

"Quite sure my lord, Tsunade should be here within the hour, and may I ask that you hold still? You're only making things more painful for yourself if you keep fidgeting like that."

The sanin glared at him, he absolutely loathed sitting still for long periods of time…especially if he couldn't tap his fingers absent mindedly like most people. Kabuto had just finished his task when a small noise attracted the two rouge ninja's attention. The medic Nin readied six senbon needles between his fingers, "Show yourself!" he demanded. A kunai landed inches from his feet.

"Stand back Kabuto, that's no way to treat our guest," Orochimaru rose from the ground with some difficulty, but when the medic Nin tried to aid him, he only shoved him away, "Welcome Tsunade, it's been far too long. I hope the years have been kind to you?"

The blonde stepped out from the shadows of the bushes and into the moonlight, "Enough with the formalities, what do you want," she hissed.

Kabuto shifted nervously behind Orochimaru, he didn't like the look in the Sanin's eyes.

"I have a small…proposition for you…for old time's sake." The snake sanin murmured. He nudged Kabuto to take the reins from here; his arms were paining him again, sapping away all the strength he had.

"I want nothing to do with you Orochimaru!" Tsunade spat, "I thought I made that clear when the three of us went our separate ways. What happened in the past should remain in the past and the future should remain untouched, that is the way of things."

Kabuto pushed his glasses further up onto his nose, "Of course this all makes perfect sense, but my lord wishes that you only _listen_ to what he has to offer for such a tiny service, perhaps you may benefit from it as well?"

It was Tsunade who shifted this time, "What sort of proposal are we talking about here?"

Orochimaru smiled, "I will bring back the two people you treasured most in this world if you fix my arms. Surely that small task is within your power?"

The medic Sanin was frozen in place, "I-I don't know what your talking about. Th-that's impossible, there is no Jutsu that can bring back the dead!"

"That, is where you are mistaken Lady Tsunade," Kabuto interrupted, "My Lord Orochimaru has developed countless Jutsus through the years, and has found a way to bring the dead back to this earth. However under the circumstances two sacrifices are needed to do so. As far as his arms are concerned, we've tried everything we know to cure it, but as you can see we are in desperate need of your assistance and will pay handsomely for such."

Tsunade bit her lower lip weighing her options in her mind. She nearly jumped when Orochimaru spoke again, "Perhaps the Lady requires some time to think about her answer? Meet us at the old castle tomorrow evening with you decision." He turned to Kabuto and signaled it was time to leave, "Oh and one last thing, you are to provide the sacrifices if you want to see your loved ones again. Normally I'd do it myself but since I'm so shortly staffed I can't spare anyone. I hope you understand."

**Later That Night…**

Naruto rolled over in his bed and sighed, sleep wasn't going to be his friend tonight. Silently he tugged his pants and a light tank top to ward off pesky mosquitoes that ruled the muggy night. His bare feet made no sound as he wandered through the hotel. The receptionist was asleep using his arms as a pillow. A small trickle of drool told the blonde that he wouldn't be waking anytime soon.

The city was deserted, except for a few open bars with their neon lights flashing, piercing the black night with a variety of annoyingly bright colors that hurt the eyes. A brawl had erupted in one of the bars; Naruto was sure to avoid it and continued down the street.

A pair of meagerly dressed women approached him cooing and giggling to each other. The blonde paid them no mind. The hookers knew when they weren't wanted and moved on to the next innocent who happened to be wandering the street at such an ungodly hour.

Jiraiya stumbled out of his second bar, with drink in hand. He downed it in one gulp and moved to the next, a small open air place with curtains for walls and doors. He sat down and raised an eyebrow at the blonde youth who occupied a small booth. A sturdily build woman and a petite companion holding a small pig slid into the booth across from the blonde.

Naruto sat alone, tipping the contents of his glass on to the table drop by drop. Sake had never really appealed to him but what else was there to do? A figure blocked what little lighting there was in the small bar and made him look up.

"You're wasting perfectly good booze by doing that," said a female voice, "Do you mind if we join you?"

Naruto looked around; the place was pretty full, "Whatever," he sighed.

The woman and her companion slid in across from him and ordered their drinks, "So," said the older of the two. She had white blonde hair with a purple diamond on her forehead, she looked like she was in her late twenties, "What's a kid like you doing here? You look pretty down in the dumps to me."

Naruto rested his chin in his hands, "I'm not a kid lady, I've been legal for the past five years and as far as drinking goes, I'm not really into it. I just couldn't sleep tonight, that's all."

Tsunade took a sip of her sake, "That's probably a good thing; a ninja with a loose tongue is a dead one. So, are you on a mission right now or just passing through?"

The Uzumaki glared at her through lowered eyelids, "That's classified information."

"Ahh tough guy aren't we? Come on you can tell me," she leaned foreword; Naruto could smell the strong liquor on her breath.

"I really shouldn't," he started, _well…what could it hurt? She wasted, its not like she's going to remember anyways. _"I'm here to find the next Hokage for the Village Hidden in the Leaf. Our last one was killed by a really bad guy named Orochimaru so until we find this person, we're leaderless."

Tsunade starred blankly at him, "Wellll that's nice. Myname's Tsunade by the way." she thrust her hand in the blonde's face.

"Uh…I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He shook her hand.

When the blonde woman was too drunk to hold a glass in her hand any longer, her assistant excused them both and left the bar. Naruto yawned and decided to head back to the hotel and sleep.

Jiraiya sipped his sake contemplating all that he had heard.

**Akatsuki Base…**

Inara tossed and turned in her sleep. Sweat soaked her hair and clothes, leaving her shivering underneath the blankets. Flashes of images flickered in her dreams, not many of them were pleasant. She flinched and awoke with a start, gasping for breath. She rubbed a hand down her sweat streaked face and put on her boots.

The base was quiet…everyone must have been asleep or too occupied to notice Void leave her room and tiptoe down the hall into the Sealing Room. The chains and sealing circle were still there. She eyed them curiously and sat down in the middle to meditate. Her breath slowed to a steady pace and the images flashed behind her eyelids again. She could hear a painful screaming in the deep confines of her mind but she didn't recognize the male voice.

The next morning she refused her breakfast. "I'm not hungry," she told them. Kisame tried to persuade her with sparring matches and other entertaining things to do but failed. Pein had even tried his hand at threatening her to eat… 'or else.' In the end it was Itachi who forced her to eat the now cold oatmeal with the use of his Sharingan. When Void was released from the spell she was not pleased. A series of books crashed into the wall where any member had been standing a second before.

Kisame sighed and leaned against the wall, "Maybe we shouldn't have locked that demon up. He at least could keep a leash on the kid."

Itachi stared at nothing, "She's acting like a toddler who misses her favorite toy. The tantrums will stop when she finds something more fun to play with. Lets just hope we don't have the same struggle at lunch."

**That Same Day…Later That Evening…**

Jiraiya had said to remain hidden, but he didn't say from what. Two Chunin crouched below the battlements of the palace walls, keeping one eye on their surroundings and the other on Jiraiya himself as he hid along the path where a tall blonde woman stood. Her black haired assistant gazed at the castle with shining eyes, "Oh, Lady Tsunade, isn't it beautiful?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah…wonderful."

Shizune seemed to notice that her mistresses' thoughts were elsewhere, "Is something wrong Milady?"

Tsunade refused to answer.

Naruto signaled to Sasuke that someone other that Jiraiya was coming up the path. He held up two fingers and made them walk, two people, walking. Sasuke nodded and angled his head to see without being spotted himself.

Sure enough two figures slowly made their way into the Uchiha's range of sight. One had striking white hair and wore a white shirt, purple vest and pants. The other was being assisted by the white haired one. The jet black hair and pale skin reminded Sasuke of someone, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Orochimaru, what's he doing here?!" Jiraiya hissed into the headset that let the trio communicate.

The Uchiha's fist tightened in fury, that bastard is_ still alive? I thought Lord Hokage killed him! _Naruto shook with rage beside him, neither of them had forgotten what the Sanin had done to the Village….to their team.

"Naruto, come down here," said the Toad Sage through the headset, "Sasuke stay there. Naruto and I are going to aid Lady Tsunade. If Orochimaru makes any suspicious moves, take him out."

Sasuke nodded as Naruto crept around the ramparts of the castle to shimmy down the wall and join him. Black eyes flared crimson when the Uchiha activated his Kekkei Genkai to monitor the snake Sanin's chakra flow. What he saw made him gasp.

"Naruto, Jiraiya sensei…Orochimaru doesn't have any chakra flow in his arms…they're…black."

There was no response at first then the Toad Sage broke the silence, "that must be why he's meeting with Tsunade. Good work Sasuke, what about his cohort Kabuto?"

He looked the medic Nin over carefully, "I can't tell, he masking his chakra somehow."

Naruto swore into the mike, Jiraiya told him to watch his mouth. The blonde was watching the scenario unfold carefully. He remembered the blonde and the dark haired woman from the bar last night. The one holding the pig looked scared, Tsunade looked confused and angry.

Orochimaru smiled, "Show her Kabuto." The medic Nin formed a hand sign, immediately followed by low rumbling.

Jiraiya and Naruto were forced to watch the castle where Sasuke was hiding crumble to the ground.

"Get out of there Uchiha!" the Toad Sage yelled into the mike. Both he and Naruto could hear their teammate's ragged breaths as he tried to avoid falling stones the size of small cars.

The battlement on which Sasuke lay in hiding began to quiver and fall away.

"Sasuke get out of there!" Naruto screamed in his ear. A stone the side of and SUV fell in front of him, barring his path. The Chunin jumped onto a solid piece of wall and leapt from stone to stone as they fell when a boulder struck him in the ribs.

He grunted with pain as he was shoved off his foothold and fell. Larger rocks and stones quickly buried him beneath their mass.

Jiraiya was torn, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Tsunade and her assistant had just taken off towards a large field and Sasuke was trapped beneath the remains of what once used to be a castle. The mission was the main priority, but he couldn't live with himself he let the kid die.

"Naruto, follow them! I'll meet up with you with Sasuke!"

The blonde nodded and sprinted away.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the unsettled dust and debris. He coughed a few times and tried to move. No good, he was lodged in place by a boulder the size of a watermelon. Carefully he began moving fingers, toes, his neck and other body parts to make sure he hadn't broken anything. His left ankle hurt, but only sprained. His arms and legs were stiff and he was pretty sure he had fractured a knuckle bone.

Sasuke lay still for a few minutes, trying to regain his bearings when he heard his name being called, "I'm over hear!" he shouted, he hoped who ever was looking for him could hear his voice from underneath the rubble.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" It was Jiraiya.

The Uchiha coughed after inhaling some dust, "I'm fine, a little banged up though." He heard stones being moved overhead as the Toad Sage tried to dig him out.

"Can you move? There's a huge boulder sitting on top of you and it looks like its going to settle soon!."

"Where?" Sasuke asked, "Maybe I can help push it off."

"Directly above you."

Sasuke looked around but didn't see the stone that Jiraiya was talking about, "It's really dark in here Sensei. I can't tell which way it up or down." He heard Jiraiya groan and heard more small rocks being dug out of the way.

A beam of daylight burst through the darkness of the Chunin's prison, "Can you see the light?" said Jiraiya.

"Yeah," it was not easy angling his body between rocks to brace his back against the stone that threatened to crush him, but after a few agonizing minutes it was done.

"Alright, push on three…one…two….three!"

Sasuke rammed his back against the cool rock as hard as he could. His ankle protested violently, making him gasp in pain but still he shoved towards his freedom.

Slowly the rock began to move. Dirt fell away along with other small rocks. Student and teacher gave one final surge of strength and the boulder rolled away.

Sasuke gasped and coughed as fresh air rushed into his lungs. He felt Jiraiya's fist grasp the back of his vest and haul him to safety.

"You okay kid?" the Toad sage asked as his charge spat on the ground.

"I-I think so," he coughed again and winced when he put pressure on his injured ankle.

Jiraiya let Sasuke sit on a pile of rocks while he inspected his ankle. The Toad Sage whistled when he saw the purple and blue flesh, "You really did a number there, let me see." He brushed his fingers against the injury, Sasuke cursed through grit teeth.

"It's broken,"

"I was wondering what that snap I heard was," the Uchiha growled as Jiraiya's hands glowed with gentle green chakra.

"I'm not very good at this so hold still," he warned. He worked slowly, barely touching the hurt ankle, mending tendons and bone as he did. Ten minutes pasts before the glow faded from his hands, "I've done all I can, it's still sprained but at least you can walk on it." He slung Sasuke's arm over his shoulder, "Now, let's track down that blonde whirlwind we both know so well."

AN: No my precious readers I have not died! I've just been very busy. So…updates…um…school's started and my classes include Horsemanship, Art 1, Spanish 3, and Survival Skills. I'm testing for my blue stripe belt on the 20th and Shogun is now 4 months old soon to be 5. I broke my board for martial arts finally! And I promise the next chapter won't take as long to write.


	31. Sanin Showdown

AN: Again I apologize for how long it took me to update. I've been uber busy since I started my new job at Subway. Yeah I work now…cuz I have to pay for my Spanish trip to Costa Rica in March. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year's! Think of this chapter as my gift to you.

Disclaimer: *the usual*

**Sanin Showdown **

Naruto ran as fast as his tired legs could carry him, he just _couldn't _let Orochimaru escape…not again. He knew Kabuto and Tsunade were ahead of him, how far exactly he didn't know. The blonde glanced back towards the ruins of the castle, "I hope Sasuke and Jiraiya sensei are alright."

Tree cover was becoming scarce, forcing the blonde Chunin to run out into the open. When possible, he ducked into shadows, moving only when the wind rustled the leaves in the trees to hide his movement. A clearing suddenly sprang up. Naruto's sandals skidded in the dirt leaving behind two furrows to mark his passing. He cursed under his breath and crouched behind the tall grass of the open field to sneak closer to the halted quartet.

Tsunade was yelling at Orochimaru…Kabuto calmly replied back…Orochimaru remained silent. Naruto ground his teeth together; _the wind's too strong to hear anything from this distance! _A loud explosion knocked him flat on his back, flattening the grass around his hiding place. Naruto shook his head and quickly checked himself for injury, other than a sore skull he was perfectly fine. What he saw next made his mouth fall open in shock.

Standing six stories tall was a violet cobra, on its head stood Orochimaru while Kabuto battled with Shizune on the ground. Across the field was a slug of equal height that belonged to Tsunade.

_Whoa, _Naruto thought, _alright lets see, if I stay here I'll be discovered or worse…squashed…but if I act now I can help that other lady with Kabuto and blow my cover…_He shrugged, _well they probably know I'm here already thanks to the summoning Jutsus. _Crimson blood seeped through a cut on his thumb, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Ninja art: summoning Jutsu!)

A large dark green toad appeared under Naruto's feet, thrusting him up into the air.

Orochimaru cursed, "What's that Kyuubi brat doing here?!" His foul mood turned when he remembered who else must have accompanied the blonde Chunin.

Tsunade felt the slug under her feet shudder as the purple coils of the cobra wrapped itself around her summoning animal."Quick Katsuyu! _Katsuyu Daibunretsu! _(Slug Great Division) Tsunade felt the slug's skin bubbling as she divided herself to wriggle through the cobra's coils. The Sanin landed on the ground as the slug reformed herself to battle on with the snake. Orochimaru joined her on the ground, as did Naruto.

The three of them stood staring each other down as their summoning creatures continued their battle. The snake Sanin's eyes darted from Naruto to Tsunade and back again. A smirk played at the edges of his mouth.

Tsunade kept her gaze pinned on her opponent, "Kid, go help Shizune…I'm fine here." She snarled.

Naruto remained where he was, "I don't take orders from you lady. I've got a bone to pick with this bastard! He destroyed my village; he killed our Hokage and murdered my teammate! Now, it's about time he paid for his actions… _**in blood**_."

Fingernails lengthened into sharp claws, teeth extended past Naruto's upper lip which was curled back in a feral snarl. The whisker marks on his face deepened as boiling red chakra enveloped his body. He released a roar that shook the earth beneath their feet.

Orochimaru stumbled back a step as he watched a single tail sprout from the boiling red mass, "Kabuto, take care of the Jinchuuriki brat!" His apprentice nodded, covering a scalpel in his green chakra.

Kyuubi Naruto chuckled, sending waves of fear down Kabuto's spine. The sunlight caught his glasses before he disappeared from the Chunin's view and reappeared behind him. The possessed blonde felt the medic Nin's presence and easily dodged the attack. A fist flew back, knocking Kabuto a few feet away. A flicker of movement caught Naruto's eye.

Shizune saw her chance and shoved the sleeve of her purple kimono aside to reveal a cruel looking device loaded with five senbon needs that had been dipped in poison. When she had seen Kabuto thrown she released the needles where he would land.

Kabuto grunted in pain when his head struck the earth. Instinctively he curled into a ball and rolled away as senbon needles pierced the ground where he had last been. He skidded to a stop and returned to his feet with six scalpels in hand. Skillfully, he threw them at his two targets.

Naruto hissed when one of the scalpels cut his shoulder but otherwise glided by harmlessly, the other two dissolved in his chakra.

Shizune gasped as one blade bit into her shoulder, another in her upper thigh. She tore them out with a roar of anger, forming a rapid series of hand signs, "Dokugiri!" _(Poison Mist) _A sickly purple cloud of gas sped towards the apprentice medical ninja enveloping him within their lethal grip. Naruto's chakra burned away any mist that tried to enter his body, allowing him to remain unscathed from the attack.

Kabuto inhaled sharply, as mush air as his lungs could hold when he saw the purple mist heading his way. Pulling the collar of his shirt up over his nose would keep most of the poison out, but it only took a little bit to paralyze and kill him. He had to get out of there, but as he looked all he saw was the swirling mass. A flash of light burst through the violet darkness, and slammed into his chest, sending him on a crash course with a boulder.

Naruto smirked and pulled the hand that wielded the Rasengan away from Kabuto's damaged body. He inhaled slowly and the red chakra began to fade away, leaving the blonde in his normal state.

Kabuto coughed up a bit of blood and laughed, "That," he hissed, "Was not a very smart thing to do!" He gripped Naruto's wrist and flung him into a boulder with such a force that it cracked down the center. A kick to the blonde's gut forced all the air out of his lungs as an uppercut smashed his head back into the stone. Kabuto dropped his victim when Shizune charged him from behind, senbon needles held between her fingers like lethal claws. The medic ninja dodged for his life, when Shizune's elbow caught him above the eye and set him stumbling back a few paces.

Meanwhile Orochimaru had caught Tsunade in one of his Jutsus. He watched as she struggled to free herself from his snake like tongue, "Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Ku no Tachi!" (Kusanagi Sword: Long Sword of the Heavens) A snake crawled out of his throat and belched out the sword, aimed directly for Tsunade's vitals.

"I don't think so!" Grabbing the sword with her feet, the Sanin Kunoichi twisted out of the snake's mouth and flung it to the side where it stuck into the earth, buried up to its hilt. With the danger past, the blonde woman took advantage of her situation to nail a punishing blow to her former teammates face with her high-heeled foot.

Orochimaru was forced to release her but couldn't clutch his broken face, "You're going to wish you hadn't done that Tsunade!" he hissed.

"Ha, I only wish I had done it earlier!" she said wiping away the purple diamond in the middle of her forehead, "Now it's you who's going to pay. Sozo Saisei!" (Creation Rebirth) Black lines spread from the center of her forehead down her face and descended her arms and legs. She bared her teeth in a vicious grin and started walking.

Orochimaru's eyes widened, "T-Tsunade take it easy now, can't we talk about this?" A fist rushed past his head, smashing a rock to pebbles, "Okay I guess not!" The Snake Sanin was never one to run away from a battle but when an enraged Tsunade started running after him, he turned tail and fled only to be caught a few yards later.

"Where do you think your going?" she growled, holding him up by the throat.

"Gak…oh…you know me…" he choked when her grip on his neck tightened. "Alright….al…right…the deal's off." He searched the area wildly for something to use against her…anything at all, when he saw the Kusanagi only a few feet away from her precious companion. Using his still intact shoulder muscles, he was able to twitch his arm, every so slightly although it burned like the hottest fires in hell. His eyes lit up when he saw the sword unbury itself from the soil and plunge through the air towards Shizune.

"Looks like your little friend isn't so lucky," he smirked.

Tsunade turned to see what he was talking about, "Shizune move!" she screamed.

Shizune froze and turned to look at Tsunade and saw the sword speeding towards her. She screamed once before something large rammed into her side, knocking her away from the weapon.

Naruto heard Tsunade yell and turned to look before Shizune had. He looked from the sword to the medic Nin it was heading towards and shoved her aside with his shoulder. It was a weird feeling having the cold metal cut and slide through his insides then burst out behind him, but what was even weirder was how he found himself flying backwards and the lack of pain. Naruto knew that he had been mortally injured because he could see the sword sticking out of his gut. Something soft cushioned his landing on the ground, something that grunted with pain. The blonde could barely turn his head to see what it was, but what he saw made him smile with relief.

Sasuke winced when the Kusanagi bit deep into his left shoulder, he grunted in pain when he and Naruto both hit the ground with a surprising amount of force. He saw Naruto smiling at him and fought the urge to do the same, "I can't leave you alone for five minutes can I?"

The blonde smiled weakly, "I guess not," he tasted a small trickle of blood escaping his mouth, "S-Sasuke…I think this might be it…for me."

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking abo-?" he spotted the sword, "Oh my god—baka what the hell did you do?!"

Naruto coughed violently, "I saved a life," he whispered as his eyes began to close.

Sasuke slapped him, "Don't you _dare_ die on me damn it! Come on, get up."

Naruto refused to move, "I can die when I damn well please,"

Wincing Sasuke pulled the sword free of his shoulder so he could assess the situation at hand. Jiraiya was battling Orochimaru with Tsunade and Kabuto had his hands full with Shizune, leaving him with no knowledge of medical Jutsu whatsoever to deal with a mortally injured teammate. He ran a bloodied hand through his hair, "Shit," cupping his hands to his mouth he let loose a shrill eagle screech.

The black eagle, Roc circled above his summoner, "What do you need Master?"

"Go help Jiraiya sensei with that giant snake! I'm summoning Kima to take Naruto to the nearest hospital, go now!"

The raptor snapped his beak, "With pleasure, it's been awhile since I've had a good meal."

The blonde grunted in pain when his teammate transferred him from the ground to the snowy white back of the female eagle, "No…don't."

"You hush!" The Uchiha scolded, "You're going to the hospital. Jiraiya sensei can manage on his own." A strong hand gripped his wrist and wrenched it into an awkward and painful position. Sasuke cursed under his breath.

"Get me off this damn bird _now_," Naruto hissed, his eyes rimmed with crimson. He dug his nails into his teammate's flesh incase that he decided to change his mind, "Sasuke!" he growled.

The raven haired Chunin's eyes were scrunched shut with pain, "Damn it Naruto! Let go of me before you take my skin off!"

"Not until you promise!"

"Ggrraa….FINE have it your way!" he released the Jutsu sending them back towards the earth. Sasuke rubbed his wrist with his uninjured hand, "We'll talk about this later!" he growled.

Naruto struggled to his feet hunched over, "Fine by me and by the way…if you haven't noticed your standing within five hundred meters of Inara's murderer."

Sasuke had already formed his hand signs to disappear within a swirl of leaves that the breeze happened to carry.

Orochimaru felt that air around him shift, it was suddenly to breath. A sharp prick in the middle of his spine confirmed his feelings. He smiled despite the sword point that had bitten through the first layer of his paper white skin, "It's been awhile hasn't its Sasuke."

The Uchiha glared at the back of the Sanin's head, Sharingan activated, "Yeah, three whole years." He ignored the tingling of his curse mark and forced himself to concentrate on his opponent.

Orochimaru stood stalk still and chuckled, "It's no use Sasuke. The curse mark cannot be ignored. Every time you activate your Sharingan it draws on your chakra. One of these days you'll drain yourself completely and the Heaven Seal will take over your body."

The Chunin ground his teeth together and shoved the dragon blade through the Sanin's body. Orochimaru laughed and melted into a puddle of muck. The hair on Sasuke's neck stood on end, every nerve in his body alert of even the slightest of movements.

A hand burst through the soil at his feet and gripped his ankle as the rest of the body followed. Orochimaru dug his nails into the Chunin's flesh and belched up the Kusanagi. The point aimed for Sasuke's throat.

The Uchiha blocked by crossing the hand blades in front of him and shoving the sword away. It reeled back and rushed in again aimed for a new vital organ. Sasuke hissed when the blade slit the skin on his upper arm and yelped when the hilt struck his skull. He growled and stepped on Orochimaru's hand before leaping into the air.

The Sanin cursed and directed the possessed sword after him.

The Uchiha landed in the safety of the long grass but quickly found himself entangled in the long grass. The Kusanagi swooped in at him, feigned to the left and knocked his hand blades free from his grasp. It hovered there for a few seconds and dived towards his heart.

Sasuke closed his eyes unable to block the attack with his bare hands. A grunt of effort and the sound of metal biting into wood, made him open his eyes. Naruto was crouched in front of him, his bow staff held the Kusanagi's blade firm. The Uzumaki's arms shook with the amount of force being applied on his weapon, "S-Sasuke, h-hurry up and free yourself. I can't hold it forever." His arms nearly buckled, forcing him to his knees while Sasuke drew a kunai and cut hurriedly through his green bonds. Once he was free he nodded a silent thanks to his teammate and charged towards Orochimaru.

Naruto fell in step beside him, a shadow clone was formed to swirl his chakra together in the palm of his hand. The blonde glanced over at Sasuke's right hand, already he could see the electric blue chakra crackling through the air.

"**Chidori!**" (One thousand birds)

"**Odama Rasengan**!" (Great Spiraling Sphere)

Orochimaru felt the energy gathering in the air as the two A rank Jutsus were formed, "Kabuto fall back!" The white haired teen nodded and abandoned his fight with Shizune.

"Oh no you don't!" growled a half possessed Naruto. A sharp pain erupted at the base of his skull cascading him into a pit of darkness. Red chakra enveloped his body, peeling away his flesh. Blood floated within the red cloud and hit the surface turning in to smoke. Naruto's skin had been stripped completely away, the red chakra forming four long tails behind him. Crimson eyes snapped open, from his mouth a blood chilling roar made the very earth shake.

Sasuke stood frozen…for the first time in his life he was petrified. The Heaven Seal throbbed on his neck sending him to his knees clutching the mark. In the distance he heard Orochimaru's cruel laughter, or maybe it was the laugh of pure terror? Sasuke couldn't tell. All he knew was his skin was burning with invisible flames. He had to fight it, he couldn't let the mark win! _What's the worse that could happen? _He caught himself thinking, _what wrong could you commit when under the influence of the mark? Naruto could defend himself and he had some if enough control to keep from completely losing his soul to the Heavenly Seal. _

_You'll be able to beat him. _Sasuke's other half whispered, _you'll be able to kill Orochimaru but only if you embrace this curse that he has given you. You will be able to avenge the one you loved. Just activate the mark! _

The Chunin's body relaxed as he let go of his self control. Red markings quickly spread across his pale skin, covering his entire body then fading to black. Crimson Sharingan eyes shattered open, their gaze locked on their target.

The creature that Naruto had transformed into battled fiercely with Orochimaru. Kabuto had come to his master's aid but had been flung to the side and now lay still like a broken rag doll.

"**Sen'eitajashu!**" (Hidden Shadow Many Snakes Hand) Black hooded cobras flew from the Sanin's hand with bared fangs. Most landed harmlessly on the ground and disappeared, they were the lucky ones. The others were caught in the demon's jaws and sliced in half by the razor sharp teeth and spat on the ground. It leaped for Orochimaru's throat, "**Futon: Daitoppa!**" (Wind Release: Great Brake Through) The blast of air had just the desired effect that the Sanin was hoping for. Naruto had been blasted away, far enough for Orochimaru to make his escape! A streak of black landed in front of him, barring his escape route.

Sasuke advanced step by step, forcing himself to go slowly. He fought the urge to smirk as Orochimaru backed away from him.

"So, you've finally decided to use it eh Uchiha? It comes in handy no? If you want to learn the full extent of your true powers you'll come with me and join your "brethren." I'm sure they'd be delighted to meet you."

Sasuke's face was emotionless but his aura crackled and snapped with a wholesome ire. His Kekkei Genkai eyes glared with emotionless ice, freezing his opponents gaze to them. Had Sasuke had achieved a more advanced form of the Sharingan the Sanin would have been in deep trouble.

Orochimaru was vaguely aware of what was happening when Sasuke placed his hand on his chest, "I hope you die a slow, miserable death." He hissed, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**"

Amber eyes widened in shock when the Ayanomi sword suddenly sprouted from his chest, Sasuke's hand was firmly gripping the hilt.

"But…how?" a trickle of blood slipped past his parted lips and slowly slid down his chin.

The Uchiha held up his free hand revealing the runes that had been tattooed into his palms, "Why carry the scroll, when the skin works just as well?"

Orochimaru smiled, "I look forward to our next meeting Uchiha Sasuke, farewell," the body began shifting and fell away from the blade to the earth as a pile of mud.

The Chunin cursed loudly, frantically searching for his opponent, but Orochimaru and Kabuto were nowhere to be seen. Anger and the sense of failure spread through his body like a tidal wave. Sasuke looked about with coal black eyes as his curse marks began to fade away.

Naruto kneeling on the ground panting heavily, he had transformed back to his normal self. Jiraiya stood next to him checking his own wounds. Tsunade and Shizune were heading towards them. The purple diamond on the Sanin's forehead had disappeared. Her assistant was busy reloading the hidden weapon on her arm. Tonton, her pig, followed close behind oinking with concern.

Jiraiya shifted himself so he could talk with Lady Tsunade without Naruto listening in, "So will you accept our offer? I know you don't want to go back but think of all the changes that your little brother and Don wanted to make. Now you have that chance…to make their dreams a reality."

Tsunade lifted her gaze to the two young Chunin. The blonde was completely unscathed; she'd have to find out how that was later. The other was limping towards his teammate with a broken ankle and a nasty looking sword wound to the shoulder, "They're so young." She whispered.

"And yet they fight without fear. They say a man with nothing to lose is the most dangerous enemy." Said Jiraiya, "These two have nothing, no family, the only friends they have are each other and yet they fight for their home. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke risked their lives to bring you to their home, Konoha, and as citizens of Konoha they want you to be their leader, to guide them and others like them through these difficult times. So what do you say?"

Tsunade was silent for a few moments, watching the two young people converse amongst them. She could see their friendship ran deeper than that as if bound together by some unspoken oath….and oath of brotherhood.

She wiped a stray tear from her eye and finally asked, "Where's their third teammate?"

"She's dead," Sasuke answered.

"Orochimaru killed her," finished Naruto.

The blonde Sanin nodded in understanding, she knew what it felt like to lose a teammate, "Alright…I accept Konoha's proposal." She moved past Jiraiya and knelt beside Sasuke, "And as my first act as Hokage I'll heal your wounds Uchiha Sasuke, with your permission of course."

The Chunin nodded and watched as her hands glow gentle green. She touched his ankle and felt the pain melt away as the bones were mended. She touched his shoulder briefly searching and knitting together severed muscles, veins and skin. A faint scar was all that was left when she had finished.

Sasuke bowed his head in thanks and rose to his feet. Naruto was still pouting against a boulder, "I liked the old man better. How am I supposed to take orders from a grandma?"

Tsunade chuckled and scooted over next to him, "You know what Naruto? You remind me of someone who didn't always like to do what I told him."

"Oh yeah, who?" there was still anger in the blonde's voice but most had been replaced with curiosity.

Tsunade removed the turquoise necklace from around her neck and placed it over Naruto's head. The charm slipped down and settled around his neck.

"My little brother." She kissed his cheek and stood, leaving him complaining about "old lady germs"

"Hey Tsunade," Jiraiya whined, "Don't you have anything for me?" he put on the biggest puppy eyes he could manage.

The Hokage smirked, "As a matter of fact Jiraiya I do," she reached into her pocket and withdrew a small slip of paper and handed it to him.

"Huh, what's this?" he asked gazing at the printed numbers.

"My hotel bill," she laughed and began walking.

Sasuke helped Naruto to his feet and called Roc back to him. The monstrous eagle slurped up the last few feet of Manda's tail before answering the call. The group winced with disgust at the bloody mess the eagle had left behind.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Sasuke asked his summoning animal.

The bird patted its stomach with its left wing, "Very much master. It's been decades since I've had a good snake."

The Uchiha fought the urge to smile, "Hopefully it won't be too long before you get another."

AN: well that's over…ugh I hate fighting scenes. Happy New Year everyone! Since everyone's favorite topic is themselves I'd like you all to tell me what you got for Christmas this year along with your review! Little Shogun, my colt if you all remember him, is amost 7 months old!!! I can't wait till spring when he gets his new fur! Oh yea and in March I'll be gone for a week cuz I'm going to Costa Rica with my Spanish club so I won't be writing at all that week.

Ja Ne

Anbu-chan 


	32. Dawn of the White Empress

AN: wow it's been ages since I've even looked at my computer! Well finals are done and we've only got another fourth left of the school year! I know I've been really lazy with my update but dare I say that the inspiration to write is starting to die in me. I know horrible right? I think it might be from the lack of watching Naruto on TV which is not my fault! The cable company that my family uses took off Cartoon Network and replaced it with the Disney Channel (shudders) I hate all those shows! Especially Hannah Montana! I don't know why but she just disgusts me. Anyway I'm still a blue stripe in Kyuki-do because I've pretty much quit going to class. I've just lost my drive to do anything, maybe I'm slipping into depression? And Shogun is 11 months old now. We are 100% positive that he's going to be a blue roan. My Pomeranian Woofie was killed by our neighbors' collie. We're suing them for vet costs, the cost of a new dog because Woofie was a purebred, and court costs if it has to go that far.

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to their respective copyrights.

**Dawn of the White Empress **

A fierce wind howled just outside the mouth of the warm, dry cave, whipping large flakes of snow nearly horizontal on their journey to the frozen ground. The sky was dark grey with snow. The wind pushed the clouds along quickly and forced temperatures into the negatives.

Inside the cave a fire crackled and glowed with warmth, the only thing keeping Sasuke's spirits up. He crouched next to the diminutive flames, trying to warm himself as much as possible. Gripping the cloth in his teeth, Sasuke pulled off his gloves and shoved them into his pockets to warm his hands near the fire. He breathed on them, trying to regain some of the feeling and avoid frostbite. His usual black shirt wasn't suitable for this kind of weather. Instead he wore a thick coat, stuffed with geese down. Summer sandals were replaced with heavy leather snow boots and deerskin wool-lined pants.

Sasuke wrapped his winter cloak around his shoulders to block out a gust of icy wind that snuck into the warm confines of his temporary home. Over his head rested the pelt of an unlucky snow leopard, the former inhabitant of the cave.

The Uchiha stood and checked his pack for supplies. Nearly a week had passed, only three more to go until he was able to return to Konoha as a Jonin. He pulled out a set of kunai, all sharp and too precious to spare in making other tools. Garyuu leaned against one of the cave walls and all he had left of his food was a cup of frozen water, a few pieces of dried meat and some onigiri. He sighed and carefully wrapped the food back up in the wax sealed paper and placed it near the top of the pack. He would have to go hunting soon; he knew that, still he couldn't risk wander about in a blizzard for a snow hare or a few lemmings. Food was important, but not worth dying for. The storm would die down soon; it had already been blowing for three days. The only times Sasuke dared leave his shelter was to relieve himself and hunt for a few minutes. But it was useless; all the remaining prey had burrowed under the snowfall to wait out the storm.

The Konoha chunin returned to his spot near the campfire and pulled back on his gloves. Memories of the past week invaded his thoughts as he fought the urge to sleep.

_After a week's time to rest he and Naruto had been summoned by the new Hokage with important missions…'A' ranked. She wanted them to spy on some neighboring countries to see if they planned to attack during Konoha's weakened state. Naruto had been assigned to the Land of Wind to propose trade routes with Gaara and his siblings. He on the other hand drew the short end of the stick and was to be stationed in the Land of Snow, a country he didn't even know existed. All this just to become a Jonin…was it really worth it? He already had numerous 'A' ranked missions under his belt but they just HAD to make him work for it didn't they? This was why he never really liked government. _

_It only took three days to reach the frozen land in incognito. Sasuke had bleached the crap out of his hair to make it appear the he had dyed it black and it was growing out. Kakashi had lent him some blue contacts to hide his Sharingan and his skin was already pale enough for him to pass as a local. _

_On day five he had come across a small village where he could purchase some supplies with what little coin he had managed to pack with him. The tavern had been lively that night with warm food, entertainment and a blazing fire burning in the hearth. The leopard skin helped shadow his face when the waitress brought him his food and drink in the darkest corner of the place. He drew as little attention as he could, pretending to be a fur trader on his way to a favorite trapping spot. The leopard skin drove most away but also attracted a few unwanted gazes. For instance a huge man with a very hairy face glared at him every couple minutes making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. _

_It was nearing the time for the Chunin to retire to the room he had rented for the night when the hairy stranger cast a long shadow over Sasuke's table. He looked up from under the leopard's head with and icy glare of his own, "Do you mind moving stranger? You're blocking the light."_

_The big man sneered and shifted letting only a small ray through, "I don't like the way you've been looking at me lad," _

_The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, "Well I don't like the way you glance at me from across the room every three second like I've got something to hide. There now we're even." He took a sip of his mead and set it back down on the table before the big man grabbed the front on his coat and hoisted him into the air like a small child. _

_"I don't think ye've heard me properly lad!" the roughish man growled, tightening his fist around the scrap of cloth. _

_Sasuke smirked on the inside, a bar brawl was just what he'd been hoping for, "Yeah too bad I can smell you just fine." He waved his hand across his face. That little line got him thrown against a wall on the opposite side of the room. At the last second he pushed off the wall to leap back at his assailant, using the dead leopards claws as weapons. _

_The big man looked surprised but had managed to throw up his arms in time to shield his face from the lethal claws. The bartender was blowing a whistle while the waitresses screamed and the other bar goers shrunk away from the fight. _

_Sasuke was about to release a fire Jutsu at the man when a rough hand grabbed his hood and yanked him off his feet. _

_"What's going on here?!" shouted Sasuke's captor. Another pair of gentlemen was struggling to restrain the larger man who was obviously tiring from his alcohol induced rage. _

_The bartender explained what had happened and Sasuke and the larger man were fined for "disturbing the peace." _

_"I suggest you go sleep off your mead son," said the Uchiha's captor as he set him loose, "I don't like seeing new faces in town so you better not cause anymore trouble for yourself." He snapped his fingers once and the other two followed him out of the bar. _

_Sasuke glared after them but resisted the urge to soak them with melted snow with the aid of a well placed fire Jutsu. He sighed and started towards the stairs when another drunk snatched his arm. _

_"Damn ninjas," the man slurred, "They thinks they canjust walk right in 'ere and order us 'round. I hate the lot 'o them." He dropped Sasuke's arm and drained his tankard with a loud slurp. _

_The Uchiha paid for his food and swiftly ascended the steps to his room where he was able to strip down to his pants and crawl under the coal heated blankets. From a small flap on his pack he produced a slim leather bound notebook and pencil. He scribbled a few notes on the locals and the ninja that he had encountered before falling into a light sleep. _

**Somewhere in the Desert…**

The howling wind had stopped but now he couldn't hear anything at all. Sure there wasn't any kind of wildlife in this desolate place but maybe a breeze or something could as least tell him east from west or north from south.

Naruto stood up from his hastily dug shelter. Pounds of sand slid off his back to form a good sized pile behind him. Damn, that sandstorm had come out of no where! One minute it was blistering hot and clear…a little wind and a LOT of sand later, he was stuck up to his neck in it!

The blonde made a face and opened his mouth, more sand, this time in the crevices of his teeth and turning to mud on his tongue. He spat out as much as he could while reaching for his canteen. Dismay washed over him when no water was left to rinse his mouth with. With a sigh, he replaced the canteen on his belt and stumbled onward towards the rising sun.

**Later that Day…**

Naruto squinted his eyes, it couldn't be….could it? Yet somehow it was still there when he blinked. Still not quite satisfied he placed his hands together and muttered, "Release," sure enough the image of heaven still remained.

Whooping and hollering like a mad man, Naruto burst into a dead run towards the oasis. The clear blue water would feel so nice as it eased his thirst and wet his mouth. The fruit from the trees could sustain him for days! And the possibility of a bath was also very promising.

On and on he ran but the small slice of paradise never got any closer. Now, instead it shimmered when gazed upon. Naruto collapsed panting heavily and even more thirsty than before. He had only survived this long by drinking his own body fluids…as disgusting as it had been, it had gotten him this far. But now he was running on empty, the Chunin knew he needed freshwater today or he'd die.

_Just a small break_ he thought to himself as he lay back with his cloak covering his face. His clothing had been clean when he trip had started but three days later the white shorts and tank had turned a light khaki color with sand and sweat. The cloak he wore was equipped with a hood to keep the wearer's head out of the sun and made of a light, near transparent cloth. The canvas pack however was no so pleasant. Packed to the brim with possible trade items, clothing, and food, it was a heavy burden that he had to lug through the desert to the Village Hidden in the Sand.

_Gaara had better damn well accept this offer or I'll kill 'im, _the blonde sulked before dozing off under the small amount of shade provided by his cloak.

A few hours seemed like mere seconds to Naruto's weary body, but something had nudged his face…something…wet? One cerulean eye cracked open followed by a shout of surprise. Naruto scooted back as fast as he could, away from the large animal with a wet nose and…split toes? "What the-?"

The camel licked Naruto's face with a wet, sloppy tongue; its saliva was surprisingly sticky. The Bactrian groaned as Naruto hastened to wipe his face clean with his cloak until he spotted something on the animal's back that he desperately needed.

"Easy boy I'm not going to hurt you," he carefully inched his way toward the water sack that bulged with its contents, "That's it, niiice camel," the blonde cooed. His fingers brushed the treated leather when the mammal decided that it had stayed in one spot too long and had to move.

Naruto leaped for the water skin but missed and fell face first into the sand. He short to his feet, spitting out the grit, "Hey wait!" but the camel was already galloping off in its weird gait.

The blonde didn't need to think twice about chasing the Bactrian until he was close enough to jump onto the creatures back, but doing so had nearly deprived him of two very valuable parts of his anatomy when he realized that the camel had not one hump but two. Riding the animal was easy enough once he got used to the awkward jostling around and figured out that the piece of twine in its mouth was used as a steering device.

"Well…I have no idea where to go. Do you?"

The camel answered in a groaning noise as if to say, "Hey I don't know you but since you're up there how about you stop talking to me and let me do my job?"

The blonde laughed, "Alright then…I'm Naruto and from now on you're…Matai." He patted his new companion on the neck.

Matai shook his head, spraying Naruto's face with frothy spittle, "EEWWW…I'll take that as a thank you," said the blonde once again cleaning the smelly liquid from his face.

**Akatsuki Base…**

Seven pale lights provided the only illumination in the large cavernous room where a single prone figure sat on the cold stone floor meditating. Silver-blue eyes slowly opened from the self-induced trance and gazed about the room.

The mineral etchings spiraled and joined around her, stone pillars lined the outer most parts of the cave, each one with a symbol engraved at their tops. A large guardian statue stared back at her with seven of its nine eyes aglow. Its mouth was lined with sharp teeth; its arms were too many to count.

Void stared back at the statue, carefully inspecting it for any signs of weakness or changes. Something was in there…something that belonged to her…and she wanted it back. Slowly she rose from her seated position on the floor and approached the statue. The stone surface was chilled against her fingertips as she searched every crevice for evidence of an opening. Nothing…

Void bit back a growl of anger and thrust her conscientiousness towards the hulking mass of rock, knowing full well that the chances of her finding anything were slim.

But she was wrong…several entities swarmed her mind all at once, demanding that she release them immediately. Void pulled back violently, breaking all mental contact. A thin layer of sweat had formed on her body and her head ached. She had no memory of doing such things before…yet it seemed all too familiar…it had called to her.

She rolled the new named over her tongue…tasting it as if it would hold the clues she needed to gaining access to the strange prison, "Hatchling,"

A wave of pain hurtled through her mind sending her to her knees screaming in pain. Bits of color flashed behind her eyes, pieces of her memories. A destroyed village…a black dragon…two boys…one blonde…the other ebony…a forest…a secret…a sense of betrayal of someone close… and finally a great sadness that buried itself deep in her heart…all these flashed before her eyes. The pain subsided leaving the girl worn and soaked with sweat. She was terrified of what she had just witnessed…but a sense of urgency told her things would be much worse if she didn't get back what belonged to her and flee.

Void steadied herself against the statue, throwing up all sorts of mental barriers to protect her from the entities except for the one that had called to her…had called her Hatchling.

She eased her mind into the midst of the spirits, probing each one and searching. They all were violent and tried to gain control of whatever was causing them such discomfort. Void flinched at all the mental attacks, but her barriers remained strong. Finally she found peace…a single force that wished her no harm. She explored, rifling through everything that it knew, its memories played back for her like a slideshow. Void saw many disturbing sights of frightening creatures broken and bloody in the dirt, then a small girl. She watched as the girl grew older and almost broke the connection when the girl suddenly looked like herself.

The entity wrapped itself around her mind like a warm mist, comforting her. Even though she was alone she heard the words, _It is alright hatchling…you have found me at last. I promise that none of the others shall harm you as long as I remain. _

The image of the black dragon flashed before her eyes…this time with a name, "Kasaki?"

The mist bubbled, it seemed to be laughing at her, _so you remember my name after all little one? I am honored. _

Void wrapped her mind around the spirit and pulled back to her own body, "I'm getting you out of there!" she screamed.

The spirit flinched when the pull came too quickly, _gently Inara, if you remove me too quickly the others may follow. _

"Then what do you propose we do?"

Kasaki chuckled, the sound reminded her of an avalanche or a rock slide, _make yourself comfortable hatchling…and be patient. I must return slowly to you so you may adapt to me again and so the others in here to not follow in my wake. _

Void nodded and seated herself on the floor. Her eyelids flickered but did not open. It would be many hours before she moved from that spot.

**Land of Snow…**

Sasuke shielded his eyes from glare of the sun on the fresh layer of snow. The storm was over but the bitter cold that it had brought with still remained, which meant that all game was still bunked down to wait it out.

The Chunin was growing more and more frustrated as his food supply dwindled down to nothing. He took an alternate route back to his cave when he stumbled on to a frozen deer carcass that the wolves had left behind.

Sasuke sent up a silent prayer of thanks before taking out a kunai and hacking away at the mostly untouched meat. He was able to fashion a crude sled from the deer's hide and rib bones. Massive amounts of meat where then piled on to the sled along with some leg and rib bones for making tools.

His cave was within sight when a large mass tripped him and sent him sprawling into the powdery snow. Sasuke cursed his own clumsiness and turned to retrieve the sled that had slipped back a few feet when the lump of snow groaned.

"What the hell?" he pawed away at the snow until the unconscious form of a twelve year old boy was uncovered.

_Oh great…just what I need a half dead kid, _now he had one of two options…leave the kid and keep the meat or toss the meat and save the kid. He could always come back for the meat…if the wolves didn't find it first. The kid looked like he was near death…but the cave wasn't far so he could drop off the meat and come back to get him…if the wolves didn't find him first.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, "Shit…food…kid…food…kid…food?" he weighed his options carefully, "Ah fuck it," and began tossing the precious meat out onto the snow.

When the sled was empty, he shifted the boy onto it and dragged him back to the cave where he immediately built up the fire, undressed the kid, and piled furs and blankets on top of him.

He waited a good hour to make sure the boy wouldn't die when he left to get the meat before actually leaving. The boy slept on, his skin clammy and pale with fever but it soon broke after a day or so under Sasuke's watchful eye.

It was nearing the end of the second day when the boy awoke to a pleasant odor wafting about the cave. He wasn't sure where he was or how he got there but he was sure as hell glad to be alive. The boy took a few deep breaths of the savory smell before realizing that he had been stripped down to his underwear, but was surprisingly warm.

"So you finally decided to wake up huh? It's about damn time…I've had just about enough of your snoring," said Sasuke spooning out two bowls of stew, one for him, one for the kid.

The boy sat up, "I don't snore! Who the hell are you anyway?"

Sasuke shoved the food at him while taking a sip of his own, "That's an awfully rude way to thank the person who saved your life. If your going to talk to me that way I might as well throw you out in the snow now and be done with it,"

The boy snatched the bowl and buried his face into the hot broth, gulping down the contents with out a care for the scalding it did to his mouth. When he finished he licked the bowl clean. Sasuke took it from him, filled it again, and returned it.

The Chunin watched as the boy was slower now that his stomach had something in it, "So kid…what's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" he asked between slurps, "For all I know you could be some child molester or sex offender just looking for another helpless victim,"

Sasuke's face betrayed no emotion as he snatched the half filled bowl out of the boy's hands without spilling a drop, "Your name kid or you don't get this back,"

Hazel eyes stared at the bowl with pleading hunger, "Ronin," he reached for his stolen meal but Sasuke pulled it back even further.

"What where you doing out in the middle of a snowstorm Ronin?"

The boy glared at him, "Hey no fair! You said if I told you my name you'd give it back!"

"Only two more questions and you can have the soup back,"

Ronin gave a defeated sigh, "Honestly I don't really remember…I think I was hit on the head or something then dragged out here and left to die…but it's just a guess because the last thing I remember was two of the village ninja asking me to help them out."

Sasuke's interest peaked, "What village are you from kid?"

"Hyotogakure,"

The Chunin handed the bowl back to Ronin who devoured the meal incase his rescuer decided to try and steal it from him again to gain more information.

He was wrong…instead it was his clothing. For each piece of clothing Sasuke decided to return, poor Ronin had to answer at least one question about his village or its people.

The Chunin held up the last article, "Looks like we're down to the last one. Who's the head ninja in your village besides the Kage? Council members don't count." He waved Ronin's shirt in front of the boys face to tempt the young teen into answering, "Well? Are you going to tell me or are you going to freeze to death?"

Ronin glared at him and sighed, "Fine, their names are Nadare Roga and Fubuki Kakuyoku. Both of them specialize in snow and ice based Jutsus, an outsider like you has no chance of defeating them!"

Sasuke smirked, "Heh, my goal isn't to fight them, just gain information and thanks to you my Hokage will get an earful. Thanks kid." He tossed Ronin the shirt and got to his feet.

**Later That Night…**

Ronin waited anxiously for the signal to appear as he listened to Sasuke's regular shallow breathing…the Chunin was in a deep sleep and wouldn't be waking any time soon. Although the Uchiha was usually a very light sleeper, Ronin had taken some herbs from a small pouch that hung around his neck and mixed them into Sasuke's stew that evening to make him sleepy. The drugs had worked and the Chunin had nodded off a little after sunset, giving Ronin plenty of time to give his report to Nadare, who was waiting for him just on the crest of the next hill.

A small flash of light told the teen that it was time to move out. Snatching up his cloak and fastening it around his throat he trudged through the knee deep snow.

The moon was at its highest point when Ronin reached the top of the hill where Nadare was waiting, "What did you find out?" hissed a cold voice that sent shivers up Ronin's spine.

"He a Chunin from Konoha here on a mission. From what I've gathered he doesn't mean us any harm. He actually seems like a nice guy." A gloved fist backhanded the kid across the face and sent him sprawling in to fresh snow with a whimper of pain.

"Little fool! _Never_ underestimate you enemy _especially _if it's Konoha. Where is the filth hiding? Tell me now so we can be rid of him."

Ronin felt himself being lifted from the snow and shook like a rag doll until the answer spilled from his lips.

Nadare smiled a cruel smile and dropped the orphan, "Perfect," he touched a button on a receiver, "Fubuki, we've got him." The snow ninja turned back to Ronin who was struggling to stand, "_Hyoro no Jutsu_" **Ice Prison Technique**.

By the time they found the boy it was spring and he had been long since dead, frozen in place by Nadare's Jutsu.

**Somewhere in Sunagakure… **

Naruto shielded his eyes from the bright sunshine that had woken him from his nap on Mati's back. A thin black line had emerged from the sand dunes and was growing steadily closer.

"Matai…what is that?" he asked the camel, forgetting that it was an animal and therefore could not talk.

Three hooded riders approached him on their own mounts, and weapons at the ready. Two of the three carried long curved swords that looked like they could cleave a person in two. The third was unarmed and rode in the middle of the greeting party. Dark eyes glared at him through the shroud covering his face, "Who are you yellow haired stranger? And why are you sitting upon the back of our camel?"

"Uh…I'm Naruto Uzumaki…and the camel saved my life…can I go now?"

The eyes narrowed, "I think not, you shall return our beast and be gone to where ever it is you are going."

A fourth rider on horseback slowed their mount next to the apparent leader's camel, "Anbar, this is no way to treat a guest who has gone through all this trouble just to return our wandering camel," a soft female voice rang clear from her veil.

Naruto was stunned, he had no idea that the rider had been female…but why was she covering her face?

"Come, good sir and we may find you some refreshment as our thanks for your kindness."

The Chunin was seated in a large tent made of tightly woven canvas, specially made to keep the blowing sand out. Cushions of all colors decorated the room, making it alive with color. Before him was a short table, set with fruits, cheeses, juices and salted meats. Having not eaten for nearly three days, Naruto practically dove into the food and stopped chewing long enough to answer the kind girl's questions.

"I see, so you were lost and stranded when our camel…er…Matai found you?" she asked.

Naruto nodded and swallowed a bit of fruit, "And just in time too, if he hadn't come along when he did I probably would be dead now."

The girl nodded, "This is true, not many from outside of Suna can survive such extreme conditions." The man to her back grunted with impatience, the girl continued, "You'll have to forgive my brother. We've been pestered by raiders ever since this trip started. Our father, the caravan leader was even taken hostage. I'm afraid he feels its his job now to keep everyone safe from other threats."

Naruto had finally eaten his fill and sat patiently on a cushion while Sari, and her name was, told him the caravans difficulties with weather, dying animals, water shortage and the worst of all…raiders.

"We're headed for The Village Hidden in the Sand, you're welcome to join us if you wish but I'm afraid you won't be able to eat as richly as you just have."

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I'm headed that way anyway!" he exclaimed, "I'll even protect your caravan for you in return,"

Sari blushed, "Oh no! It's much too large for one person to watch over himself!"

Naruto smirked, "Not for the future Hokage it isn't,"

**Meanwhile in Konoha… **

A masked ANBU knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. Tsunade nodded for Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura to take a seat while she finished some more important business.

He entered with out making a sound on the creaky wooden floors. Bowing respectfully, the ANBU placed a stack of forms on her desk and neatly exited via window.

The 5th picked up the first of the many documents and inspected it carefully, "These must be the new bingo book files Kakashi was talking about." She thumbed through them recognizing a few faces from previous books such as Orochimaru, Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Kabuto Yakushi. Tsunade sighed and flipped to the newest bingo book entrants, a lot of them were young but a couple were middle-aged. One file in particular caught her interest.

True Name: Unknown

Street Name: The White Empress

Appearance: Dresses in all white, usually pants and cut off shirt with mask covering face. Silver hair with black slivers framing the face, about shoulder to mid back in length. Has a scar over her left eye.

Eye color: Blue

Height: Approx. 5' 11"

Gender: Female

Age: Unknown, Approx. 18 to 25

Misc. Info: Most often seen in towns with high crime rates and disappears when crime had dropped. She has often turned in "A" ranked criminals for their ransom and leaves before authorities can bring her in. A massive black horse is her mount of choice. This animal is extremely dangerous, assumed to have killed 3 ANBU and 5 civilians at her command. Her weapon of choice varies from swords to a pair of hidden bladed bracers. It is strongly recommended that no one under the rank of Jonin approach her.

Reward for Capture: 100,000 yen

Status during capture: Dead or Alive

"Hm," Tsunade pulled the photo of the entrant out and inspected it carefully. It wasn't a very good photograph, one could barely tell whether the subject was male or female, and some the descriptions didn't quite match. She handed the picture to Shikamaru, "Any one you recognize?"

The Nara took the slip of paper in one hand and chewed the edge of his lip in thought. Ino and Sakura peered over his shoulders to get a better look, rather than waiting for him to pass the image to them.

"Nope, no one from this village," he stated.

Ino snatched the photo from his hand and squinted at it, "It sort of looks like Inara…but she's been dead for…gosh…five years?"

Sakura nodded, "She had a summoning scroll for horses but her hair was pure white. This person has black in it."

Tsunade lifted her chin from its resting position on her hands, "How exactly did she die Ino?"

"It was the same day the Third died. I'm not sure about the details but she apparently was killed by Orochimaru. Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto would know more about it than me. Just don't ask Sasuke about it…he's _just_ started moving on and I don't need him showing up at my place drunk anymore often than he already does."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "He comes over to your house drunk? What exactly do you two do?"

The blonde rolled her eyes in a bored to tears expression, "He uses me as his physiatrist. I keep telling him to go get professional help but it's like telling a rock to get up and move itself…just not possible."

"Was the girl's body ever recovered?" the Hokage asked.

Shikamaru shook his head, "The most we found of her was her broken sword and her headband, two things she never left behind wherever she went. But after the observation platform exploded no one expected to find a body…intact that is. Whatever pieces of her that managed to survive the initial explosion was burned by the resulting fires."

There was a clear look of sorrow on the blonde woman's face. The thought of such a young life being taken was difficult to process. Green eyes filled with tears as she thought of the dead girl and how she would never fall in love, become an ANBU…get married…have kids…and die a peaceful death asleep in her own bed.

Tsunade dismissed the squad and replaced the picture with its file. A stray tear dropped on to the folder before it was filed away to be processed into the new Bingo book.

**Somewhere in Iwagakure…**

The young woman wore all white, silver hair fell to the middle of her back; her bangs were the color of raven's wings. Amber eyes were the only feature that her mask didn't hide as she tossed her bounty toward the collectors, "One Tatsumo Ishigaukr,"

The two men sitting at the table stared open mouthed when the man lying on the floor gave a low groan, "Ah…yes…um…"

"I'll take my 60,000 and be leaving,"

"But the ransom was for fifty!" the shorter of the two argued. Standing he was the same height as Inara.

She glared at him, her golden eyes flashing dangerously, "Sixty thousand, not a single yen less. It took me a long time to find and capture this bastard," she dealt her prisoner a blow to the side. He whimpered unable to utter a word past the gag that he been roughly tied in his mouth.

"We will pay you the posted amount and no more!" the taller of the two men shouted. He went still when the bite of metal met his throat.

Inara held her arm steady, small droplets of blood were already forming on the tips of the bracer's blades, "Sixty," she snarled, "Or he dies."

The shorter man nodded and quickly counted out the money and handed it to her.

Inara snatched it with her free hand and withdrew her other. From her pocket she took out a small transparent cylinder and smashed it on the desk, releasing the gases inside.

Inara disappeared just before two skulls hit the table in a chemical induced sleep.

**Later that day…**

Void counted out her money and sighed, placing it back in her pocket. She didn't like resorting to stealing…but it was necessary if she was going to live long enough to get back home. What she didn't understand was why every village insisted on sending ANBU after her when she spent precious time cleaning up their villages scum and lower life forms.

Absent mindedly she leapt on to her mount's back and spurred him to an easy lope. With any luck she would reach the next village, and paycheck, in about three days.

Dusk was starting to settle around the landscape, lengthening shadows and driving animals back to their dens for the night. Inara yawned, "Just a few more hours," she told herself and the plodding horse. The stallion shook his mane and snorted.

It wasn't even a half hour later that Inara was snapped out of a daydream by a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She ducked just in time to avoid a giant shuriken that would have decapitated her. Large amber eyes found her enemy poorly hidden in a tree about 500 meters behind her.

"Yah!" the pressure of her heels in her mount's sides made the beast charge ahead, ignoring the branches and leaves that slapped both horse and rider in the face in their mad dash to lose the single ANBU.

Kunai and shuriken rained down on them, most resulting in a few scratches. A fire Jutsu missed them by inches, spooking the giant black horse so he fell on his side, trapping his rider underneath him.

A sharp crack echoed through the forest. The kunoichi screamed out in pain when her tibia cracked under the stallion's weight. The horse struggled a bit then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The ANBU was closing the gap between them rapidly, forcing the kunoichi to struggle to her feet and run. Each step was hell; liquidd fire poured into her joints and threatened to burn her from the inside out. Stabs of pain nearly sent her to her knees when her leg caught on a root, tripping her.

She reached a clearing and cursed when she saw the cliff at the far end, she would have to make her stand here, broken leg or no.

The ANBU landed smoothly on the dirt and stood his ground in a casual stance, "So you're the White Empress. I can't say I'm impressed."

Inara grit her teeth, "Look buddy I don't know who you think you are but I will _not_ stand for insults,"

He chuckled, "You can barely stand at all with that leg of yours. Why don't you make this easy on yourself and come quietly? You'll be given a fair trial…I promise. Struggle on your part will only make my job harder."

"I guess it's about time you work for your money now isn't it?" she spat, clenching her fists so the bracer blades gleamed in the twilight.

A bo staff materialized in the ANBU's fist, "As you wish," he sighed, "**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**" (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique) his body vanish underground leaving behind no trace of his path.

Inara took a hesitant step back, searching in vain for a tunnel or furrow in the dirt to warn her of attack. A fist shot out of the ground, gripping her ankle and yanking her down.

The ANBU's body appeared as his target vanished in a puff of smoke, "I knew it was too easy," he said to himself. A shuriken grazed his arm, "That was stupid," he returned the shot with a fire Jutsu and received a face full of sand from a wind Jutsu.

Kakashi coughed to clear his lungs, spitting on the grit on the ground, _Damn, if she keeps hiding like this I'll be out of chakra before I can drag her in, but where would she be? _

Inara watched the ANBU from the lowest branches of a tree, _what the hell? He's just asking to be killed now. _She wrinkled her nose in disgust, _clearly an insult…staying out in the open. _From the brace on her arm she withdrew a strand of nin-wire and secured it to a thick branch that protruded to her left. A paper bomb was placed two feet in front of it, along with a net of kunai and shuriken.

_I'd like to see him escape this one, _Void thought when her trap was completed. _Now to lure him in, _grabbing a hold of a smaller branch, she snapped it and darted off to the right, making as much noise as possible.

One crimson eye snapped open when the commotion started. _So you've finally slipped,_ Kakashi sent a clone into the trees to flush the White Empress from her obvious hiding spot while the real body braced for her retreat.

The explosion was so loud he thought he would go deaf as the heat singed some of his hair and skin. The familiar sound of weapons falling to the earth followed the blast as did Inara, breaking from the tree line into plain view.

She froze in her tracks like a deer in the headlights, "Son of a bitch," she cursed when she saw the real ANBU standing in front of her, and still very alive. The blades of her weapons flashed in the sunlight when the two began to circle each other.

"Tell you what," Kakashi suggested, "How about a fair fight? No Jutsu or traps, just honesty taijutsu? And I won't kill you as my mission states I should, instead I'll bring you in alive."

Inara glared at him from behind her own mask, "Is this your form of sympathy? Well I don't need it!" She charged him, swinging her arm out for a torso punch.

Kakashi leaned back and to the side to avoid the lethal blades the just missed his stomach. A sharp pain burst into his ribs when her kick landed a solid blow with her steel toed boots. The ANBU cursed, some of them had been broken.

Inara blocked a blow from the bo staff by crossing her arms and shoving away and slashing high for her opponents head, a few stray hairs rewarded her effort as did a sharp crack in the shoulder from the oak weapon. A blow to the head sent her reeling with blood staining her white shirt and seeping into her eyes. Void looked up, her golden eyes blazed with pure fury.

Kakashi stood over her, a kunai aimed at the back of her neck, "Do you surrender your "Majesty?" A blast of black chakra flung him to the dirt with such force; the lower half of his dog mask split and fell away.

Swirls of visible chakra seeped from Inara's pours as she called on Kasaki's strength.

_Hatchling what do you think you're doing?! I sense the urge to kill in your heart! _

Inara's pupils narrowed, fading to white as the black spread over the whites of her eyes, _"Because I mean to kill him!" _ She howled in fury with her teeth and nails lengthening at a rapid pace. Shining ebony, her claws solidified to three inch daggers that could slice a diamond in twain. Her canines protruded from under her upper lip, past the bottom of her chin and were two and a half inches thick at the base.

Her shoulder blades rippled momentarily before ripping through her flesh and clothing to expose a pair of jet black wings.

Kakashi starred in a combination of horror and fear, "Oh shit not another Jinchuuriki!" His thought process was cut off when a spiked tail shot out from behind her, sweeping him up and into a branch of a large tree. Something cracked when he landed and was still for a moment as he let the blood and dirt fill his mouth and nose.

A rough fist grasped the back of his vest and hoisted him up in the air.

Inara growled and roared in his face, spattering it with foul smelling saliva. Kakashi gripped her arm, trying to rid himself of her hand while he reached into his shuriken pouch and withdrew a small black orb. He crushed it in his hand and threw its contents in Inara's face.

Void screamed and clawed at her eyes, dropping Kakashi as she stumbled back. The glass shards were serving their purpose and blinding her with each blink enabling the ANBU to land a successful kick to her injured leg.

He watched as the demon possessed crumpled to the earth, the bone of her leg broken through the skin. She writhed in the earth spitting and cursing making it difficult for him to finish his job when that six foot long tail shot out, wrapped around his leg and flung him nearly ten feet away and almost over the cliff. By the time he recovered Inara was back on her feet, even if she was favoring her nearly severed leg.

Kakashi spat blood out of his mouth and formed some long unused hand signs, "_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!" _(Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique.) Eight large nin-dogs erupted from the ground, sinking their teeth into Inara's arms, legs, and tail. The demoness screeched and thrashed but only succeeded in shredding her own skin as the dogs held her in place.

The ANBU limped toward her as she growled and hissed like a reptile. Kakashi held his broken ribs and let is guard down a little, "Look, I don't enjoy killing young people such as yourself…give up and come quietly you've been defeated."

Inara's head was limp, facing the ground, only her heavy breathing told him that she still lived.

She whispered something under her breath.

"What? I couldn't hear you. You're roars and that explosion did a number on my eardrums."

Inara looked up, she wasn't glaring at him anymore but there was still a fire in her eyes that Kakashi had to admire. Most ninja he captured started begging for their lives but she refused to stoop to such methods.

"I said," Void started, "That I'm just trying to get home and collecting bounties is the only way I can get the coin to do it. So when the locals send ANBU like you after me…well it really pisses me off."

Kakashi chuckled and began nursing his wounds, "I admire your courage child. You have spirit for one so young. It takes talent to collect bounties but setting your own bounty on criminals is a crime in itself."

"Don't you think I know that! But it I settled for the pennies they paid me I won't get home until I'm sixty and I need to get there as soon as possible!"

"It's that far away huh? And why, if I may ask, is it so important that you return? You're a missing Nin, you have no village."

"That's not true! I was kidnapped; I love my village and nearly died protecting it when our Kage was killed."

Kakashi froze in his work, "Killed? How long ago was this?" he formed a hand sign to dismiss his hounds.

Inara sat on the ground after transforming back to normal, "I-I can't remember…I only remember Kasaki and…some faces…" She looked up, tears streaming down her blood smeared face as the ANBU knelt down in front of her.

"Inara…it can be…"

She starred back in shock, "How do you know my name? Who are you?!" she scurried back in fear.

Kakashi reached up and removed the top half of his dog mask, "Do you remember me?"

Inara looked from the Leaf headband he wore, the gravity defying white hair, the scar across his left eye…the Sharingan when she too removed her own mask, "Kakashi sensei?"

He swallowed past the lump in his throat, "Oh my god…it is you."

AN: Finally it's done! I typed a lot extra since I haven't updated in like FOREVER! For those of you who have read my profile I shattered my wrist and had to have surgery on it. I now have 13 screws and a plate in it. Luckily it was my right hand and not my left because I am left handed. What happened you ask? Well I was out ATVing with the Skills USA group and I had my big Kodiak 450 to I could keep up and we went to a play area with lots of jumps and mud holes. I was the only girl there so I felt I needed to show off a bit to get accepted by all the guys so I took my gigantic machine over a 6 foot high jump and forgot that my dad and I had put a front rack on the week before so it was a little heavier than I'm used to. I clearly remember going "Whoohoo OH SHIT!" Not only did I break my wrist (first broken bones btw) but I chipped off two teeth, one in half and the other at a diagonal and pushed a third back which had to be popped back in its socket by the dentist. So now my entire summer is pretty much ruined because I can't do much and the surgeon thinks I'm only going to get about 85 percent of movement back since I broke it through the joint area. Typing is difficult but it's a good therapy for me.

We got a new puppy, his name is Bandit and he's the cutest little fluff ball ever! Like Woofie he's a Pom and he likes to steal stuff like underwear and shoes. Poor Shogun needs to be gelded soon since he's almost a year old…the 26th is his birthday!

ANN: I didn't even cry when I broke my wrist and it was as bad as wrist injuries go. I only shed tears when I found out that I can't go ATVing or horseback riding this summer, so I'll have to miss the local county fair. But I should be back in action by June or early July.


	33. Breaking Point

AN: So I guess I should start with an update on my injuries. My wrist is doing well and I will either be getting two implants and a crown or two crowns and an implant, either way its surgery again. Poor Shogun got snipped but thank God because he was being a little brat! I can only hope he gets better instead of worse. A special thank you to Daii-chan for sending me so many awesome reviews and to all my other readers if you like my stuff seriously check out hers. It's not Naruto, but there is fighting, it's Dragon Ball Z! (I used to watch it when I was in 5th grade).

P.S. This is the chapter where I may have to up my rating to 17 and over because of sexual references. I'm sorry really I am but as I mature my mind starts wandering into places it shouldn't and it reflects into my writing.

**Breaking Point**

Naruto stared at himself in the mirror…or at least he thought it was himself. He moved and the person who looked exactly like him did the same movement but in the opposite direction, "My God, the last time I was this naked in public I was having a demon sealed in me." He picked at the orange vest that clung to his chiseled, bare frame. A black dragon was stitched in the back of the vest along with his fake last name. The poofy black pants that clung to his ankles and waist reminded him way too much of a genii that was supposed to pop out of a lamp when you rub it.

For a test he crossed his arms across his chest, making his biceps and shoulder muscles appear larger than they actually were and nodded at the mirror, "You have three wishes Mr. Aladdin Sir." He said to his reflection. The blonde laughed at himself and exited his tent.

Sari and the other women were laughing and talking amongst themselves when Naruto approached, "Um…Sari…I think this costume in too small." He said tugging at the fabric.

The girl turned, black hair spreading out like a fan. Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. She looked the Chunin over carefully, "Nope, it fits you perfectly Naruto. We got really lucky when Anbar decided to lend you his old outfit."

The blonde opened his mouth to argue but Sari beat him to it, "You shouldn't be over here right now, go wait with the other men and we'll talk after the performance."

"But…wait who are we performing for anyway?"

Sari laughed, hiding her mouth with her hand, "Why the Kazekage silly,"

"Gaara?!"

**Later That Evening…**

Anbar sighed nervously, "Alright gentlemen, you know what you need to do. Once the music starts we enter stage right. Find your partners as quickly as you can. If you mess up don't worry, they don't know the routine so they shouldn't notice. Just don't make a fool of yourself."

Naruto gulped, why had Anbar looked at him when he said that? The other men took their positions and the blonde followed suit. They were all dressed similarly with vests and poofy pants along with leather shoes that barely protected from the sharp stones that littered the streets.

The music started and the women slowly rose from their crouch, spreading their arms wide while twirling color coordinated streamers around themselves. No human body should have been able to move in that way naturally, legs went over heads, and splits were executed with the slightest of ease while a second group of women performed aerial acrobatics from sturdy colored rope from above.

The crowed cheered when the girls grew still and the music took on a more masculine rhythm. Naruto heard the change in beat instantly and started moving with his group onto the stage. He easily picked out Sari with her orange outfit that oddly resembled a bikini top and bottoms with tassels.

The Chunin moved up behind her, touched her shoulder so she would lean her head back on his shoulder as the dance required. He spun away so he was in front of her moving with the tempo of the music; however with the view he found it increasingly difficult to focus on the steps and missed a few beats.

Sari noticed and changed her moves to match her partners so the slip wouldn't be as obvious. Naruto smiled gratefully and lifted her on to his shoulders just as the others did with their dance partners as well. They were in a perfect line when all the women joined hands and stood on their men's shoulders and took their bows.

Naruto shook his head to ignore the thought that had been plaguing his mind since Sari had stood on his shoulders, _don't look up…don't look up…damn those small outfits! Stop making it so easy cheat on Hinata! _Finally the number ended and the whole trope bowed when Naruto spotted Gaara in the distance, "Oh crap…he saw that."

The next group was getting ready for their own performance when Naruto slipped back into his own clothes and tied on his headband.

Gaara wasn't heavily guarded, big surprise now that he didn't have the Shukaku to protect him anymore. Naruto cleared his throat to get his old friends attention.

The Kazekage looked over and very nearly smiled…but the attempt turned it into a smirk of deviance. Naruto waved and tried to sidestep one of the few guards in front of him but was blocked by the man's hefty weight.

"Excuse me but I have business with your Kazekage," the blonde explained.

"No one gets near the Kage without being searched and I can see clearly that you carry weapons openly."

Naruto sighed and took out a small slip of paper, "I have permission see?" he shoved the paper under the man's nose, "Believe me the Hokage wouldn't want Gaara dead, in fact it's just the opposite. So if you'll _excuse _me," He shoved again only harder. The big man looked to Gaara, who nodded, and let Naruto through.

The red haired youth extended a hand, "Uzumaki Naruto, it's been years. Been staying out of trouble I hope?"

Naruto shrugged, "Not really but who here cares?"

An edge of Gaara's mouth twitched, "Hm you haven't changed. What can I do for Lady Tsunade this time? Great performance by the way," he said as he looked over the scroll Naruto had handed him.

**Lower Dungeons…Land of Snow…**

Sasuke's head throbbed with each beat of his heart. He felt like he had a serious hangover but he couldn't recall drinking anything the night before…and why the hell was is so damned cold?!

It took nearly all his strength to open even one eyelid and look around slightly. He was in a small stone room with no windows, only a barred door, which was securely locked and guarded by an exploding tag. The Uchiha could hear water dripping somewhere on to the stone floors, but not inside his own cell. He tried to move his hands but found he couldn't…they were chained together above his head as were he feet to the floor.

Something cold crept down his skin sending shivers racing down his spine. He had been stripped of nearly all this clothing except his underwear, _damn it…how long have I been asleep? _And where was Ronin?

Just then the door to the cell was opened with a loud creak from ice forming in the hinges and in walked a pink haired, short woman, which reminded Sasuke eerily of a heftier Sakura.

"Oh good your finally awake, looks like I win the bet," she purred.

Sasuke evaluated her through half open eyes making himself appear more drugged that he actually was. She was a short woman, perhaps a foot and a half shorter than him, and thickly built, weather it was muscle or fat he wasn't sure. Her hair was poking through an odd helmet making her look like she wore pigtails. On her shoulder was a cerulean orb that connected strange pieces of metal to her chest, arms and legs. _That must be the chakra armor Tsunade was talking about. _

The woman stood up on her tiptoes so she was eye to eye with Sasuke, "You're good," she whispered tapping the end of his nose with a long fingernail, "Nadare says you were here for nearly a week before he found you."

Sasuke resisted the urge to grind his teeth with disgust…she was touching him and he didn't like it.

His captor stood back on her feet and rocked back on her heels, "We've taken all your clothing and weapons and I can tell from your headband," she flicked the leaf symbol on Sasuke's forehead, "That you're from Konoha isn't that right?"

Sasuke didn't answer making the woman scowl slightly, "Fine, maybe you'll open up a little more if you knew who was addressing you. I'm Kakuyoku, Fubuki, head executioner and tortures, if your going to die, I'll be the one to deliver the blow," she giggled, fingering the handle of what Sasuke assumed was a weapon.

"Now you're going to tell me your name," she said.

Sasuke remained silent all the while glaring at her, _damn, this does not bode well for my person._ Fubuki raised a pink eyebrow, "Well? It's rude to not tell someone your name after they've told you theirs. Perhaps you still need a little…persuading." A long, thin whip uncoiled from her hip, the end was tipped with a small silver blade that was meant to bite deep in to the flesh and rip back out when the wielder pulled back.

Sasuke swallowed, but refused to speak.

A sickly grin crept its way across Fubuki's face, "I do love the strong silent types," the whip hissed through the air, biting into its targets flesh and was pulled back.

A gasp tore past Sasuke's mouth when the bit of metal sunk into his stomach and was wrenched back out. Hot blood trickled down his hips and was soaked into the cloth around his waist. But the wound still burned like someone as lit a match and shoved it into his abdomen…the metal had to have been dipped in something.

"Oh I'm sorry…did that hurt?" Fubuki raised the dripped blade to her lips and licked it clean, "Mmm, so sweet. It's been awhile since I've tasted blood like yours."

Sasuke's teeth were clenched against the pain of the small cut. He would endure several more before the day was out. By mid-evening several lacerations bled and burned with unseen fire, trickling blood down the Uchiha's skin. His fingernails were bruised and bleeding. Some of the splinters Fubuki had shoved under them still remained intact. A bucket of hot water had been thrown over him, giving a few seconds worth of warmth, but when the water began to cool and evaporate, it left Sasuke feeling even colder than before in the damp cell, yet all though the different methods of torture, the Chunin had remained silent.

Fubuki glared at him with icy eyes, she had cracked hard eggs before but the Konoha Nin had might as well been a rock. Muttering curses under her breath she took out a small container and unscrewed the lid and began spreading the foul smelling stuff over Sasuke's wounds.

"Relax," she said when he had flinched away from her, "It's a healing balm. I make it myself, by tomorrow morning you'll be as good as new."

But the Uchiha remained on high alert as she touched every cut with the sticky paste, "Why?" was all he said.

Fubuki looked up with a satisfied look on her face, "So you'll be fresh for Nadare tomorrow." Carefully she stood and replaced the cap on the container before stowing it back in its bag, "Now, for a little something for you to remember me by,"

Before Sasuke could shift, Fubuki grasped his family jewels and gave them a hard squeeze. He bit his lower lip until it bled, and then spat it in her face forcing her to remove her hand to wipe away the mess.

The Snow Nin lowered her arm and grinned, noting the dangerous flare in her prisoner's black eyes, "Not really in a position to be giving threats are you?" she sighed, "No matter, we won't be seeing each other again if Nadare gets his way." Fubuki turned on her heel and snatched the small pack that contained her "toys" before pausing just before leaving the room, "By the way, nice ass," she winked and locked the cell door behind her.

Sasuke listened as her footsteps faded down the hall, listened as everything fell silent. He let his neck go limp and closed his eyes for a session of meditation. If he was going to get out of there alive he would need every skill he had acquired and then some. An hour passed before the Uchiha dared to stir and listen for approaching footsteps…he heard none. Gathering every ounce of strength he possessed, Sasuke pulled himself up until his fingers found the small space between the cloth and metal on his headband. From there he withdrew a small file the size of his pinky finger and dropped it into his mouth. From there he clamped down on it with his teeth and began to file through the chains that held his arms captive.

It was slow going and twice he had to hide the file between his teeth and cheek when a guard came in to throw a bucket of hot water on him. His arms ached by the time he was halfway through and needed rest. Very carefully, he stored the file back in its hiding place and nodded off into a light, yet uncomfortable sleep.

**Somewhere in a Bordering Country of Konoha…**

Inara clung to Kakashi's neck as he leaped from tree limb to tree limb. She was able to heal her leg enough to walk, but running was strictly out of the question. Kakashi refused to leave her behind and retrieve a small medical staff in fears that she might disappear again by means of some Jutsu.

"So you were sent to kill me huh?" she asked as they took a brief rest from their travels.

The copy cat Nin shrugged, "Killing would have been my last option but if you would have been difficult…which you were by the way, then yes I probably would have. The mission itself was to, and I quote, "Stop a rouge bounty hunter from robbing villages blind by pretending to be their savior,"" he tossed her the scroll on which his mission was described in complete detail.

When she finished looking it over, Inara rolled the scroll back up and handed it back to its owner, "Hm, I've become a more famous than I've thought…but "The White Empress?" Who the hell came up with that name?"

The Jonin chuckled, "Probably the same person who decided to call me the "Copy Cat Ninja."

Inara laughed and rested her head on her knees, "Sensei…how long has it been?"

"Since what?"

"Since the 5th died and I left?"

Kakashi leaned back on one hand and counted off the years on the other, "Well you were thirteen when it happened and Naruto and Sasuke are 18 now…making you the same age so…five years."

"Only five? It seemed so much longer than that." She stared ahead of her in to the darkening forest, "What's happened…since then?"

"Well Shikamaru is a Jonin, Ino is training under Ibiki to be a psychologist specializing in post traumatic stress and mental illness, Sakura is training with Lady Tsunade to become a medic Nin, Kiba and Shino are training with the head of their families, Hinata and Neji spent some time working on a new Jutsu apiece for their gentle fist technique, Lee is still following Gai around like a lost puppy and Tenten is assisting Iruka in the Academy as the new weapons instructor."

Inara was silent for a few moments contemplating how far her friends had gone without her, "Sensei…I think you've forgotten about two,"

Kakashi sighed, "No…no one is going to forget them. They...haven't exactly been getting along since you've disappeared Inara. In fact they almost killed each other on one occasion on a rooftop. Naruto claimed they had only been sparring but no level of sparing uses the Rasengan and Chidori, two highly lethal Jutsu.

I've tried talking with them but nothing seems to help. Sasuke is the main problem he's so broken I don't think he'll ever be the same again. Losing you was his breaking point." He rested his hand on Inara's shoulder, "Not all hope is lost though, maybe your return will help him…I don't know…snap out of it. He's been stuck in his own anger and depression for so long."

The Kunoichi felt the tears welling up behind her eyes, "Wh-what's happened to him? What's he been doing?"

Kakashi was silent and shook his head, "I don't believe it would be wise to tell you but if you really need to know…he's developed a habit of showing up stone dead drunk on Ino's doorstep every other week where she gives him a psyche evaluation…the result is never good. If he's not out drinking he's moping around in his house or taking every deadly mission he can get his hands on. He's become violent Inara, he's been arrested several times for disturbing the peace and battery…luckily most of it was on Naruto but…all the same…he's slipping away from us and there's nothing we, or the village can do to help him."

Inara's face was blank as a single tear slipped down her cheek, "And Naruto?"

"He's seen better days. In the beginning he tried comforting his friend but…nothing he tried helped. Either Sasuke would ignore him completely or things would get violent and they would need to be separated with help from the ANBU. I've tried persuading him to give Sasuke time to heal but he refuses and says that Sasuke need to wake up and see that the world isn't over."

"Where are they now? They're in Konoha right, so I can see them soon and set things straight?"

The Jonin shook his head, "I'm afraid not, they're both taking their Jonin tests and aren't due back until the end of this month. Naruto is in the South with Gaara and Sasuke is to the North in the Land of Snow."

Inara's face fell, "Their Jonin tests? They're that strong already?" Her eyes fell to the bark of tree, "So I'll still be a genin when we return if I'm not killed on the spot for being a rouge ninja."

"We'll have to see what the council thinks of that and as of your status…I'll put in a good word for you with the Hokage. I might be able to bump you up to Chunin at the least with the performance you greeted me with yesterday."

**Lower dungeons…Land of Snow…**

It wasn't the freezing cold wrapped around him like a thin blanket that woke him, nor the steady trickle of water that fell on his face that make the black eyes slowly open. It was a small sound…the sound of ripping paper. The exploding tag had been removed from the door. A fresh one took its place moments later after heavy footfalls entered his cell.

The muscles in Sasuke's arms screamed in pain causing stabs of agony to shoot down his back if he so much as twitched. The shackles bit into his flesh, drawing a small amount of blood to lubricate the insides, so at least there was some movement possible.

The Chunin's head hung low over his bare chest, the only indication that he still lived was the slight nodding motion he made as he breathed.

Nadare gazed about the small cell; there was nothing to look at except the prisoner it contained. The snow ninja's face was set as stone when he strode forward and shoved a kunai under the boy's throat, "Time to wake up Sleeping Beauty. Prince Charming would like some answers and from what the Ugly Step Sister has told him, a certain someone doesn't like to talk." He jerked the knife up forcing Sasuke to meet him eye to eye, "Isn't that right?"

The Uchiha's eyes were dull and near lifeless, but Nadare saw a small flicker in them that make the hair on the back of his neck rise. He glared at his captive and removed the kunai, letting Sasuke once again lower his head to a more comfortable position.

The Snow ninja tuned away and stored the blade away carefully, "One word…one word was all she could get out of you. Well, we're going to change that now aren't we my little spy? You'll be singing like a canary when I'm through with you." Nadare set a small bundle down on the stone floor and unwrapped it slowly. Inside were numerous torture devices of all shapes and sizes, senbon needles, kunai, multi-colored liquids, small pocket sized scrolls, knives, scalpels, and other paraphernalia were neatly tucked into their own separate compartments.

Nadare selected a small vial and held it up for inspection, "Ah good, good." His white eyes flickered toward Sasuke, who was trying to watch through his bangs, "Do you know what this is little spy? Of course you don't, it's a miniature water demon. Fascinating little creatures, you see, in order for them to live, they must have a host and from that host they steal one vital organ…their heart. If you're unlucky enough to have one inside you…it'll devour your heart in a matter of hours before the host vomits it up before they die." He placed the vial back amongst the others, "But I won't use it on you…your far too valuable for that."

Sasuke looked up in time to see a fist aimed for his face but couldn't dodge. Blood spurted from his mouth and spattered across the flagstones, a cough of pain brought up more.

Nadare flexed his fingers after the impact, "Now then…lets see what you know little ninja."

Blood trickled from Sasuke's mouth yet his teeth remained set as another blow forced all the air out of his guts. He coughed bitterly, choking on his own spit and blood when Nadare's fist connected to his temple, violently jerking his head back.

The Snow ninja hissed angrily, nearly an hour had passed and the Konoha Nin had said nothing. Time and Nadare's patience were running out. From his pack he selected a bottle containing black goop and a thin slice of plastic.

The synthetic slip was forced between the Uchiha's teeth so far he gagged on it. Eyes aflame he could do nothing but watch was his tormentor began pouring the gook onto the plastic and down his throat. The bottle was nearly empty and the floor was stick with the stuff. Sasuke retched and was sick.

Nadare pulled the plastic away just in time to avoid a wave of vomit when it rushed past him. He smiled triumphantly, the poison would make the boy throw up everything he had in his stomach hopefully begging for the antidote…there wasn't one…but the begging would be nice.

The Uchiha heaved one final time but nothing came up. Sweat soaked his body making his hair stick to his neck and face. He glared at the Snow ninja and his cruel tactics but it was going to take a lot more than that to make him talk. A small grin appeared on his face…and grew…and grew until he was laughing like a maniac.

Cold fury swept through Nadare's body, his fist clenched around a single kunai. If he couldn't get his captive to talk…then he was going to silence him…permanently.

The laughter stopped as the two males stared each other down.

With a mighty tug, the chains holding Sasuke to the ceiling snapped and he dropped to his feet. Slowly he rose to face his challenger as Nadare stumbled back in terror.

He lunged forward, wrapping the chains that still confined his wrists around the Snow Nin's neck and pulled them tight, "Now you know what it's like to be at the mercy of another," he hissed.

Nadare was quickly turning blue, his hands clawing at the chains in vain. The kunai that he had held lay forgotten on the ground a few yards away.

"The exploding tag…take it off," Sasuke demanded, directing Nadare towards the cell door, "Don't even think about tearing it either,"

A shaking hand held the slip of paper in front of Sasuke's face. Quickly he snatched it and rolled it into a narrow tube between his thumb and forefinger, "Try anything and I'll make your head explode," he warned. With a rough shove he ordered Nadare to strip of all this chakra armor and clothing, holding the exploding tag at the ready the entire time.

Once he had dressed, Sasuke chained Nadare's wrists together and apart. He moved to collect the pack discarding many items but keeping others such as the kunai. Only when he shouldered the pack did he stand.

"Now what?" Nadare jeered, "The cell is locked and only I have the key,"

Sasuke removed a small bronze key from his waist, "You mean this one? You left it in your pocket dumbass."

The Snow ninja glared, "How far do you think you'll get? Fubuki will know in an instant your not me!"

The Uchiha tightened the braces around this forearms, "Your right…so I guess things would work out better if the real you wasn't around."

"Whaa—aahgg!" A loud crack echoed through the dungeons underbelly…the sound of a breaking nose.

Nadare's head spun…but he was still alive. Sasuke was unlocking the cell door and closing it when the Snow nin found his voice and began screaming for backup.

The Konoha ninja help up a single hand sign, cutting off Nadare's calls for help, "No wait….please n--!"

"Katsu." The tag, which had been lodged up Nadare's nose exploded, scattering blood and brain matter all over the cell. Unfortunately the bang had alerted the guards, closing the window for Sasuke to make his escape.

The Uchiha pressed himself against the cold stone walls when a mob of guards ran past him heading for the dungeon. All was quiet when he pulled the cowl over his head to hide his face. Taking a deep breath so sooth his nerves, Sasuke strode out into the open hall and proceeded unchallenged to the main hall.

More guards ran down the corridor straight at him. The commander skidded to a halt when he saw Sasuke and saluted promptly, "Sir we're heading down to the dungeons. Squadron five reported a loud noise that requires investigation."

Sasuke swallowed and waved a hand in front of himself, dismissing the commander, "No need for that, I was just questioning our guest. He won't be bothering us any longer."

The guards that stood behind their leader shifted nervously and exchanged frightened looks. Sasuke dismissed them and they headed back to their posts.

Fubuki sprinted down a narrow hallway, very nearly colliding with a wall when a sharp turn presented itself. She righted, and dashed down the remainder of the hall, bursting into the main hall to intercept Sasuke. But what she saw confused her, "Nadare, the prisoner has escaped. Why aren't you in the dungeons?"

A strong arm crashed into her throat, pressing her into the wall. Her feet dangled uselessly in the air as the life was leeched from her body, "W-what are you d-doing?" she gasped.

Sasuke raised his head revealing the crimson Sharingan.

Fubuki choked and kicked in panic, "Y-your an Uchi-"

A kunai flashed through the air neatly slicing through flesh and muscle. Fubiki's head lolled.

Sasuke whipped the blood from his face as his victim's body slumped to the floor, "I told you not to touch me."

With a mighty heave the castle doors were opened. A pure white landscape greeted Sasuke after a week of imprisonment. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. It wasn't a total loss he thought to himself, instead of news of the charka armor; he had the real thing to bring back to Konoha. His mission, he felt had been a success.

AN: So I've got a hundred percent motion back in my wrist! My surgeon took one look at my progress report and went, "What the hell are you?" Shogun's training is coming along very well I can put my full weight on him back and he doesn't seem to care. He's such a pocket horse! I held him while his feet were being trimmed and he buried his face in my chest and didn't move. This was after I got into water fight with him, yeah I got into a water fight with a horse. I'm really busy with fair stuff and I'm going to Sturgis the firsts week of August so my next post will be delayed by as least two weeks. I've just been really lazy this summer and haven't felt like writing. I mean with two jobs, horses to care for, and chores to do, I barely have anytime to myself. I spend most of that time playing Guitar Hero…I'm addicted.

A special thanks again to all of you who reviewed I answer all my review so if you wanna hear from me just post *chibi smile* Again check out the stuff by Daii-chan if you like Dragon Ball Z!!


	34. Ghost in the Sunset

AN: aaaahhhhhhhhh….so tired…but can't sleep…oh god I'm like Gaara! I am so tempted to skip over a lot of stuff that happens in this chapter…like the big fight scene. I'm really not looking forward to that. I promise to make myself work on this chapter for an hour a day until its done so…about ten days it will be finished. *Sigh* I really don't wanna start school…not only will I be a senior but it marks the fourth year that this story has been running. I can blame books and guitar hero mostly for my non-speedy updates oh yeah and work.

DISCLAIMER: please support the official release of the Naruto manga series found at your local book stores or library because they're a hell of a lot better than what I can come up with, with a liter of mountain dew and a shot of five hour energy.

**Ghost in the Sunset **

Naruto rolled up the map of Konoha and tucked it carefully into his pack, "So it's settled, our ninja will escort the caravans all the way to your border where your people will meet them and make the trade off."

Gaara nodded and sipped at some mint tea. He had offered some to his friend, but the blonde had refused…Naruto wasn't a tea sort of guy. "I hope this works our country has been suffering poor relations lately. With any sort of luck we'll be on better terms with each other since the Chunin exams five years previous."

Naruto nodded, "The help sent was greatly appreciated though with the clean up. Lady Tsunade thinks she still owes you one." He bit into a rice cake that was offered to him and munched happily.

Gaara waved the server away, "Hardly the council didn't approve but fuck them anyway. They're too stuck in their old ways to make room for the new."

Naruto snorted and coughed, choking on the cake. Gaara quickly offered him some water, which he gulped down gratefully. Once that small incident has passed he said, "The village seems a bit bigger than what you've described."

The Kazekage smiled…sort of, "I've been working on a few top secret projects to help the people. Aqueducts run everywhere through the city providing every citizen with clean, drinkable water so they don't have to travel to the local well twenty miles away every morning."

Naruto nodded in approval, "Sounds high tech, but where do you get the water? You live in the middle of the desert."

Gaara pointed to the floor of the tent, "All the water we could ever need is in the ground right under your feet. While digging up some pipelines, workers discovered a huge underwater lake so with my permission they built pipelines leading from the lake to every household in Sunagakure. Not only that, we've discovered that the lake will refill itself because it is located in a valley, any rain that falls in this dessert will drain away to this valley and into the lake."

The Uzumaki closed his eyes and tried to picture it but somehow couldn't comprehend an underground water source when Konoha drew from surrounding rivers and lakes, "I knew you would make a good Kazekage Gaara." He looked up through the tent's ceiling, "Its late, I've overstayed my visit." He judged by the way the sun had arched from one end of the tent to the other casting shadows in the farthest reaches. Naruto moved to get up when Gaara waved a guard forward, "Fetch Anbar and tell him to ready two camels for a long journey. I don't want our messenger to be getting lost in the desert again." He grinned in the blonde's direction as the guard lifted the tent flap and left.

**Some Remote Tundra…Land of Snow…**

Sasuke broke a piece of spruce in half and fed it to his measly fire. With an irritated sigh, he wrapped himself more snuggly in the leopard skin as a blast of icy wind whooshed past his face, chilling him to the bone. Shivering violently, the Uchiha rested his chin on his knees and scooted even further into the stone lean-to hiding himself from the outside world.

The snares he had set had come up empty…again and it was his second night without food to help him keep warm. Even the fire didn't help raise his spirits. With shaking hands he scooped up a bit of snow and put it in his mouth for a small drink of water. All the streams were frozen over forcing him to lower his own body temperature for a sip of liquid.

For hours he sat in the snow barely moving…not even thinking as the fire snapped and popped with the sap from the spruce twigs. Sasuke eyed his pack and reached for a small cylinder shaped object. If the fire didn't help him cheer up, maybe a little music would.

His lips were chapped from the wind and cold but the flute still sounded flawlessly across the tundra plain. His breath shook at first but evened out as his lungs warmed with the heat of the fire.

A caribou lifted its mighty head and listened to the wind, its fuzzy ears twitching to catch the faintest of sounds. It sniffed the air but smelled nothing but snow and ice as it moved toward the music of Sasuke's flute.

He played until he could no longer feel his fingers, changing rhythms from traditional songs to ones he scarcely remembered his mother humming to him while he slept. A snort from an animal made him jump. Less than three hundred yards in front of him stood a young bull caribou. The animal sniffed and circled the camp assessing weather or not the Chunin posed any sort of threat.

Slowly…Sasuke reached for the spear he had made three days prior out of a sharpened rock and tree branch. He had decorated it with bits of fur, feathers and rocks he stumbled upon, now he clutched it in his fist holding completely still…waiting for the perfect shot.

The bull lowered it head pointing its enormous set of antlers at Sasuke as if daring him to try and throw that tiny stick at it, and pawed the dirt.

The Uchiha swallowed hard when the bull stomped its foot and bugled loudly. It was challenging him. With his free hand he reached for his flute and mimicked the call hoping to lure the beast in just a few more meters.

The caribou shook its antlers and pawed at the snow breaking into a dead run. Sasuke saw his chance and took it, hurling the spear as hard as he could at the bull's barreled chest. He watched as the sharpened rock buried itself between two ribs and stuck fast.

The bull stumbled and fell skidding through the snow staining it red with its blood. Four legs armed with razor sharp hooves thrashed at the air kicking wildly. Its eyes shifted sporadically when it tried to breath through a punctured lung.

Finally it was still and the Uchiha dared to approach it. The bull still lived, Sasuke's spear lodged deep in its chest cavity. Blood pooled around the animal as it lay there dying. A quick cut with a kunai and it was over.

The sun was setting and Sasuke was fed, and warm with the caribou's hide draped around his shoulders. He cleaned his spear carefully and set it aside for when he would need it next.

**Wooded Region 100 Miles Outside Konoha… **

Inara uncoiled herself from her protective sleeping position and looked about with a weary gaze. The sun had barely peaked above the treetops, casting a ray of light into the small clearing where she and Kakashi had made camp.

The Ayanomi licked her lips and rubbed the grit from her eyes, moving to a sitting position. Kakashi lay beside her, his visible eye flickered and opened, taking in its surroundings just like Inara had done. With a groan he pushed himself to his elbows and cracked his neck, "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered under his breath.

Inara chuckled, thirty-one wasn't old but for a ninja of Kakashi's stature it was impressive. With a grunt of effort she got to her feet and stretched out her tired muscles, "I'm going for a morning swim, I shouldn't be gone long."

The Jonin grunted in acknowledgement, "Hide your clothing and keep quiet. Those tracked from yesterday were still very fresh. I think there may be bandits lurking nearby." He too rose to his feet, "In the meantime I'll warm up some food."

Inara nodded and limped towards the spring. Her fractured leg hurt like hell, another reason she wanted to take a dip in the chilly waters.

The spring was a large lake with several small waterfalls fed by melted snow that had run down the mountainside and collected there. The dense underbrush provided excellent concealment from curious eyes as the Kunoichi undressed and carefully hid her clothing under a rock.

A shiver jolted up Inara's spine, testing the frigid water with her foot. Backing away a few paces, she bolted and plunged into the spring until the water covered her head. With a gasp of shock she surfaced and shook her hair. Her leg felt instantly better, numbed by the cold water, enough so that she could walk on it normally.

The smooth stones massaged her feet as she walked through the spring toward the waterfall to wash.

Kakashi was alert as he cooked what little food they had over a small, smokeless fire. He had chosen the kindling and wood carefully, avoiding damp bits or ones with too much sap. Watching the meager meal cook, he leaned against a tree and blended with the woodsy surroundings.

A squirrel chattered angrily at a sparrow as it landed and caused the branch to shake. Dew drops fell onto the fire with small sputters and hisses. A blue jay squawked as it flew, then the forest went silent, setting the Jonin's teeth on edge.

Something had the animals spooked, _predator most likely…cougar or something_…_wait…there are no cougars in this region. _The visible eye narrowed in suspicion. With a sigh Kakashi turned and climbed the tree to get a better vantage point. He had no sooner positioned himself on a sturdy bough when a loud crashing drew his attention to the west. A small group of people were passing through…bandits. _Well fan-fucking-tastic…I just _love_ company for breakfast. _

The bandits halted roughly five hundred meters away from the campsite. The wind was coming from their direction so they didn't smell or hear the fire that Kakashi had left burning nor the food that was slowly becoming charred. Instead they abruptly turned north, ducking for cover behind bushes and weeds.

The Konoha Jonin watched them, puzzled. What had drawn their attention away from the camp? Game could have caught their interest...then he heard the scream. Oh yea, they had found game alright…a stark naked eighteen year old girl. Kakashi grinned to himself, _better be careful boys, some delicate flowers have thorns. _

Inara emerged from the waterfall, clean and in good spirits. The rushing water had pounded the sleep from her muscles leaving her feeling loose and agile. She floated along on her back looking up at the sky as the sun rose for the day, admiring how the colors turned from a gentle pink to light blue.

It was then when a rough hand has seized her hair and hauled her out of the water to stand before three very dirty, slavering men.

Her captor shook her head and laughed, "Lookie here boys! I caught us a little mermaid out for a swim." He grinned revealing yellowed and blackened teeth with exceedingly foul breath.

The second eyed Inara's naked body like a livestock buyer, "She's too thin, look at her, barely got anything for tits," The Kunoichi grit her teeth in vehemence when the bastard had the guts to fondle her a moment then said, "Might as well be squeezing grapes."

"Ah c'mon Ishoto just cause the bitch ain't got a chest don't mean she's no good." He elbowed the second man in the ribs, "Just look at those legs." He whistled slowly, "I bet she could break a man in half with 'em."

Inara smiled sweetly, "Come closer so I can try honey." The man holder her spun her around smiling wolfishly, "You'll be servicing me first sweetie," his hand slid down her back to grasp her buttocks.

A growl ripped past the Ayanomi's lips as they curled back for a snarl of rage. The thug misread it, "Ha ha a wildcat are you?" he strokes her face, trailing his fingers down her neck, "Here kitty I'll stro—OOF!" He collapsed to the ground holding his manhood.

Inara whirled around knife-handing the second thug in the neck, he fell gasping for air. The third was aware of her intensions now and drew a long blade from the small of his back, "Now now pretty, don't make me cut you." The knife was knocked aside and a blow to the jaw sent him sprawling.

The Kunoichi shook her fist, damn that had hurt. While the bandits were still moaning on the ground, Inara ran to the rock that she had hid her clothes under and began to dress. She had only pulled on her bra and pants when the one that had grabbed her hair sat up and reached for a blow dart. A kunai buried itself neatly into the dirt between his legs, less than an inch from his vital…parts.

Inara straightened, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. My next one won't miss." She held up three more weapons for the man to see. Only when she finished dressing did she address the thugs again. They all moved a little but didn't go anywhere since what little brains they hand were probably still jogged. "How are we feeling boys? Still wanna tussle some more?"

Ishoto cursed under his breath, something that sounded like, "Evil bitch,"

Inara chuckled, "Aw thanks hon," she dealt him a kick to the head and he went down. She turned and faced the other two men with fire in her eyes, "Remember if you've learned anything at all from our little encounter….no one…fucks with the White Empress."

**Konoha Late Evening… **

Two more days had passed and he was finally on the outskirts of his hometown. Sasuke stopped and took it all in. Most of the lights had been extinguished within homes and shops, leaving streetlights to penetrate the night. All was quiet. A few fleeting blurs leaped across the rooftops, the ANBU were at work. Oddly enough the light in Hokage tower was still glowing.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, "What do you want?" he asked without turning around to face the stranger that had snuck up on him. Their intent seemed peaceful otherwise the Uchiha would have killed them on the spot.

"Only to chat awhile," said a voice, "You're Uchiha Sasuke are you not?"

The Chunin turned, "Who's asking?" behind his back he gripped the hilt of the dragon blade.

"A friend…you know him well enough, I'm one of his….messengers."

"Either you give me a name, or I don't give you mine." Sasuke threatened. This stranger had white hair and a purple mouth. His outfit was curious, consisting of something like a bed sheet with a violet rope tied around his middle. Odder yet was a mass on the back of this person's neck.

"My master had given my strict rules not to reveal anything that does not need to be known," there was a pause, "However…we feel that no harm could come of your knowledge." A smirk played across his purpled lips, "I was sent by Orochimaru-sama."

Sasuke ground his teeth together and drew the dragon blade out of its hiding spot, "You will leave now, because I don't EVER want to hear that name again nor anything he has to offer."

The stranger shrugged, "Fine, the power could have been yours but if you don't want it there's nothing I can do to change your mind,"

Unfortunately, Sasuke's interest was peaked, "What power?"

"Do you think he gave you that mark for no reason?" he pointed to Sasuke's shoulder then pulled down the neckline of his own shirt and revealed a similar marking. "You're one of us now. Come, take the gift that is being offered you wont regret it…I promise."

The Uchiha hesitated, mulling things over in his mind before he answered, "I don't know who the hell you are or where the hell you're from but I suggest you get out of Konoha boundaries before the ANBU come and kill your sorry ass." He turned to continue home.

Sakon smiled, "I'll be in touch."

**Hokage Tower…**

Shizune opened the door a crack, looking for any sign of lamplight that would mean Lady Hokage was still awake. Sure enough the orange glow penetrated the darkness of the black hallway, making the medic Nin shy away from the brightness. Her eyes adjusted enough to allow her to enter the dimly lit room to find Tsunade slumped over at her desk in a light sleep.

Shizune sighed and shook her head, grabbing a blanket off a nearby shelf. The cloth settled over the blonde woman's shoulders causing her to stir, "Hmm wha…who's there? Shizune…what are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't catch your death of a cold. Milady why are you still up? You should be abed by now."

Tsunade didn't answer. It was past midnight and the real reason she hadn't retired for the night was due to the Chunin's that hadn't returned that day; among them were Naruto and Sasuke, and the Jonin Kakashi. How did Shizune expect her to sleep when her ninja's were still out there and possibly in danger?

Gaara had sent word that Naruto would be escorted home but the notice had arrived nearly two weeks ago! Kakashi hadn't sent anything back since he had crossed the Fire country's boarder and this White Empress character sounded sketchy at best, _I swear if Hatake went and got himself killed I'll…I'll spit on his grave! _

Sasuke was the one she was most worried about…throw a ninja into a foreign country with a quick temper, _I hope he knows what he's doing…Ah who am I kidding he's probably dead in a snow drift somewhere! _

An ANBU burst into the room making both women jump violently, "I'm sorry my ladies, but Uchiha Sasuke has returned and is waiting for an audience with the Hokage."

Tsunade practically jumped out of her seat, "Hurry then, show him in!"

The black haired Chunin stumbled through the door panting heavily. Since his encounter with Sakon, Sasuke had run as fast as he could to Hokage Tower

"My god Uchiha, what happened?" Shizune asked as she handed him a cup of water and directed him to a chair just before his knees gave out and he collapsed with a groan of pain.

"Ran into a little company just outside the village, he's gone now." Sasuke shifted his pack so it fell to the floor with a thud.

Tsunade looked concerned, "Who was it?"

The Chunin shook his head, "No idea but he mentioned Orochimaru."

The Hokage's face darkened with anger, "Shizune get Danzo in here now! I want Root out there looking for the intruder. If he knows anything about Orochimaru, he'll be valuable to us."

The medic Nin nodded and quickly left the room, leaving Sasuke and Tsunade alone in the dim light. After a few silent moments the Uchiha started hefting his pack onto a low table.

The Sanin eyed the bulging sack curiously, "Brought back some goodies did we?"

Sasuke smirked, "Oh yeah, lots of 'em." He opened the flap and began tugging out items. Before long the leopard skin, elk blanket, spear, frozen meat, stone weapons, his flute, and swords clustered the table. He handed her a leather bound journal which she skimmed through briefly, "I'll keep this for a bit to copy the notes, then you can have it back." She flipped to a blank page, "I don't see anything mentioning chakra armor in here."

"Due to the situation it would have been too dangerous to write about it in my logbook. So I thought of something better." He riffled through the pack again removing Nadare's cloak and armor. Carefully he spread the suit out on the garment for Tsunade to inspect.

Speechless, she picked up a helmet and turned it over in her hands. A gem glowed on the crest, chakra radiated from it. Green eyes narrowed as long fingernails scraped across the metal surface of the headgear, "You idiot!" Tsunade threw the armor to the ground, "Do you have any idea what you've done? Your mission was to collect data on the armor not steal it!"

Sasuke stood in defiance, "I don't see any difference. Now your team can do any experiments they want! You should be thanking me!" A sharp fingernail jabbed him in the chest.

"You don't get it do you Uchiha? Because of you've stolen a confidential item from a foreign country, they can invade Konoha to get it back! We'll be lucky if war doesn't break out over your actions!"

Sasuke bit back a sharp reply but continued to glare are Konoha's leader.

"I should turn you over to them when they show up. Hell if you were anyone else I'd throw you in prison until they came."

Sasuke swallowed.

"However, you're the last of a powerful clan and your Sharingan is valuable…too valuable to let anyone else get a hold of…so instead of the latter I'm denying you rank of Jonin until the next exams in five years. You are dismissed."

The Uchiha opened his mouth to argue but Tsunade cut him off, "DISMISSED." Fire burned in those black eyes as he slammed the doors to the office and started home.

**Just Outside the Uchiha Compound… **

Sasuke had just shut the large double doors that blocked off the Uchiha district from the rest of the village when he heard something rustling the leaves in the tree above him. His eyes flickered up but spotted nothing.

"I thought I told you to get out of Fire country?" he said with a bored tone.

Sakon dropped to the earth and straightened, "I figured it was more of a warning." He folded his arms across his chest, "You don't look happy. They didn't understand did they?"

The Chunin ground his teeth together, "What the hell are you talking about?"

A grin spread across the rouge ninja's thin lips, "I think you know very well. She denied you your promotion didn't she? It would explain why your upset and why you didn't come rushing home sooner."

Sasuke dug his feet into the dust, "You mentioned something about power…last time we met. Power from the curse mark?"

Sakon chuckled, it was a chilling sound, "Exactly," he reached into a pocket of his vest and pulled out a small red pill, "However there is a catch, in order for you to reach your full potential with the mark, you need to die."

The Uchiha inhaled sharply.

"Well I wouldn't say "die" exactly," said a feminine voice from behind him. He spun around and barely made out a stocky girl with long red hair tamed by a cap. In her hand she clutched a clay flute, "It's more like…well…_almost _dying."

"Ah…Tayuya I wasn't expecting you so soon. Where are the others?"

The girl shrugged, "Around, I just swung in to see our possible little brother for myself."

"Tayuya is one of us Sasuke, she has the mark as well as Jirobo and Kidomaru."

The Konoha nin was skeptic, "All I have to do is take that pill and I'll have all the power I'll need to kill my brother?"

Tayuya shook her head, "No right away but just a little polishing with Lord Orochimaru and defiantly. You're transformation will be the most glorious of all."

"There is one little issue concerning your village." Sakon interrupted, "If you agree to do this you'll never see your friends or thing village again. You'll be a rouge ninja wanted by all with a price on your head. We're offering you this chance to become our leader under Lord Orochimaru." He knelt and offered Sasuke the pill, "What do you say? You've nothing left here. Its time to start anew."

Sasuke bit the inside of his lip but took the small round capsule, "I can't do it tonight, they would suspect something too quickly. I'll lie low until tomorrow and meet you fifty kilometers outside the village at midnight."

Tayuya and Sakon nodded and turned to leave when the Uchiha stopped them, "This had better work or I'll be very put out."

**Konoha Village…Front Gates… **

The guards waved Kakashi though the gate with Inara concealed under a cloak to hide her face. The Konoha guards would have recognized her immediately from her photo in the Bingo book.

Once inside the Kunoichi threw the hood off and shook her hair free, "Thanks sensei, they would have killed me if I tried to get in on my own."

The Jonin nodded, "Most likely. Now, to find you a place to stay…word will get out soon and the Black Ops will be looking for you come dawn. We need to get the Lady Tsunade and get you legalized as a citizen again. The process could take months."

"Months?! Where am I supposed to stay until then?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I'm sure Lady Hokage will think of some arrangement. Now let's move before the night patrol catches us…then you'll be in even more trouble."

**Hokage Tower…4:00 a.m…**

A loud knocked roused Tsunade from her sleep. She blinked a few times before grabbing a small bedside clock with glowing hands. The blonde read the time and cursed under her breath, dragging her sleepy body from the warmth of the sheets and dawning a light bathrobe. Another loud knock made her flinch in the dark, "I'm coming" she whispered harshly to the door. A crack of light spilled into the room from the hallway when Tsunade peered out to scold her visitor and maybe curse them for waking her so early.

"What do you want," she snapped before opening her eyes to the garish light.

"Hatake Kakashi reporting back from mission 0027." The Jonin bowed and was nearly bowled over by a fist to the skull.

"You idiot! You were supposed to report back every week you were gone! Five…five weeks I don't hear from you and now you show up with a stranger tagalong!"

Kakashi bowed again, "I'm sorry Lady Hokage but the situation turned to be more urgent then we anticipated."

Tsunade just glared, "Still a notice or single status update would have proven reassuring and just who is this?" she waved a hand in Inara's direction.

The Kunoichi gulped and look to Kakashi who nodded. Slowly she removed the hood that again had covered her face.

The Sanin's expression was as hard as stone, "Hatake, I hope you brought her here to be thrown in prison and given a trial because I won't stand here and let a criminal run loose in my village."

The Jonin straightened to his full height, only a few inches taller than Konoha's leader, "I'm afraid not Lady Tsunade. She is the reason I couldn't report back while in the field. She is a member of this village…or was before her mysterious disappearance five years ago. She has come to beg your forgiveness so she may once again be a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

The Hokage narrowed her eyes, "Absolutely not! I won't even consider it! I'm sorry Kakashi but rules are rules and she must be dealt with as those rules state."

Inara shoved past Kakashi and looked right into Tsunade's teal eyes, "But Lady Hokage I've done nothing wrong, maybe scammed a few people yes, but never killed! Even when I was with the Akatsuki my hands remained clean. I never meant to leave the village but Kasaki had to take me away for he feared my father would find me and kill me!"

The blonde's face softened a little, "I'm sorry child, there's nothing I can do. It's up to the council to decide and until then you must remain imprisoned because you are too dangerous to let wander the streets."

Inara sniffed and wiped her face on her sleeve, she was so close to being home and now she could never return unless a group of old bags said she was safe enough. Sorrow and fear gripped her heart as she sunk to her knees sobbing.

Kakashi moved to pick her up, then froze when he saw the black aura undulating from her body. The mist took the form of a human and solidified into a young man in his early twenties with white hair with black and white spikes. Piercing blue eyes peered around the room as if checking his surroundings. He was dressed in simple black pants and open vest. Around his wrists were black leather gauntlets. He looked directly at Tsunade, whose eyes were open in shock, "The hatchling's story is true. I'm the one who stole her away from Konoha. It's no fault of hers. Tsunade…was it? We've met before…five years ago when poor Inara was blinded…you fixed her and because of you she can see again."

The Hokage looked confused but knelt down lifting Inara's chin to look into her eyes. They were a startling emerald green with old scars surrounding them…a long gash tore through her left eye. The memories came flooding back. "You're the one…the traveling cousins."


	35. No Man Left Behind

AN: So now that I have two computer classes I might be able to actually post something before Christmas!!! WOO! Anyway I haven't gotten any reviews yet on "Ghost in the Sunset" and…I is sad…*sniff sniff* I guess its my own fault actually for taking so long. Work sucks, I just found out that I have no hours this week which means no money! I'm thinking about taking up another job as a ski instructor. I hope its fun, but the downside is I have to wait for some snow…yeah. Oh some good news, I've ridden Shogun a few times and he was really good. I only had to jump off once! Spirit and I have gotten even closer and we're starting to pick up the pace and do a lot of galloping. I hope to join the local drill team next year to see how well she does in parades. Well that's all I can think of for now.

DISCLAIMER: blah blah blah I don't own Naruto please read the real manga when you find the time….um…yeah…*clicks tape recorder off*

**No Man Left Behind **

Early morning and the sun was just rising over Hokage mountain, bringing with it birdsong, clear skies and splashes of color in the dark world of night.

In a black room tucked away near the middle of the city, Naruto stirred from a deep sleep. Weary eyes glazed toward the window where an ebony sky slowly faded to pink. Rubbing callused hands across his face, the blonde shuffled to the edge of the bed and swung his feet over the edge. The floor was cool against his feet on his way to the shower to wash the sand out of his hair and other places.

The water took a good fifteen minutes to get hot enough to scald the skin, which was exactly how Naruto liked it. A hiss of pain escaped his lips as muscles relaxed under the gentle massaging of the cascade. For awhile he just stood there under the showerhead, letting the water drip down his face and neck, plastering his hair to his forehead. With half closed eyes he began washing. The hot water was cooling rapidly when Naruto finally turned the faucet off and stepped from the shower. He emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist and one draped over his head. The blonde dressed quickly in his sweatpants and jacket before starting his breakfast of hot ramen and hopefully not too spoiled milk.

Naruto smiled to himself as he finished the meal, Hinata didn't know he was back in town yet, "Time to pay her a surprise visit," and if they were lucky, a date would follow. The only obstacle standing in their way was Hyuuga Hisashi, Hinata's father.

The Hyuuga elder had made it quite clear the Naruto was unwelcome in his household, however he wanted to see his daughter happy at the same time, so grudgingly he allowed Hinata and Naruto to see each other, only one catch, they were to be supervised by a lesser branch family member. When Neji wasn't away he usually volunteered for the position, but lately he had been busy with a mission.

The sun was up and the village was bustling with Naruto left his house and casually walked the distance to the Hyuuga main house. The blonde received some glares from the older villagers, he replied by sticking out his tongue at them, which made the younger generation playing in the streets laugh. Off to his right, Naruto heard a small sobbing noise coming from behind a trashcan. With the sound of metal scraping against stone, the container was moved aside to reveal a little girl dressed in nothing more than rags. Naruto's expression widened in shock as he knelt down to the child's level, "Why are you crying?" he asked with his head tilted to one side.

The little girl looked up, her eyes were a deep violet with matching hair. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto her clothes leaving behind clean skin through the dirt and grime. "Th-they took Nikii-chan and ran away… I-I couldn't keep up." A fresh wave of tears overflowed from her eyes as she tried to stop them with her small fists, "N-now I'll n-never see her again!"

The blonde pulled the corners of his mouth down and poked the little girl's cheeks with his fingers, "No more crying, I'll get Nikki-chan back for you." With that he lifted her on to his shoulders. He winced when he felt little fingers grip his hair, "Which way did they go?"

"That way!" she squeaked as Naruto ran down the street full bore yelling, "ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Little girls had more strength than he gave them credit for.

**Uchiha Mansion…Same Time…**

"That ought to about do it," Sasuke sighed and looked into the knapsack that contained everything a cat could ever need: food, litter, litter box, toys, a bed and scratching post were crammed together for travel. "All that's left is the princess herself." Right on cue a silvery white cat with yellow eyes bounded into the room and on to the couch. Sasuke chuckled as Neeko-chan crawled into his lap and pawed at his face, demanding to be pet. He obliged by scratching under her chin and behind her ears. Soon a rolling purr broke the silence and continued on for as long as Sasuke pet the animal.

"If I would have known I'd be leaving, I never would have taken you in Neeko-chan." The cat butted her head onto his chin and licked his nose, "No cat," he pushed her down, "You're not coming with me. One of the girls will take care of you now."

Neeko-chan mewed as if saying, _bit I wanna say with you_. One last scratch behind the ear and Sasuke stood, "Come on Neeko, time to go." The feline jumped onto her usual spot on his shoulder as he grabbed the knapsack.

**Two hours later…**

Sasuke growled under his breath, honestly a cat wasn't that big of a responsibility. Hinata was no use since he has been stopped as soon as he reached the gate, Sakura slammed the door in his face as soon as she saw him, TenTen was allergic, he had even tried some of his other friends, but Kiba didn't like cats, Shino would probably give her fleas, Lee wasn't home, he would never trust Naruto with a living animal (besides Naruto and cats just didn't seem to mix well), Kakashi already had his summoning hounds, Shikamaru had said it was "too troublesome," Asuma Kurainai were expecting a baby so they had no time to take care of an animal…who else was there?! He paused in front of the Yamanaka house and shrugged, _it's worth a shot._

Ino's father answered the door, "Uchiha, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Ino. Is she home? She wasn't at her apartment."

"INO YOUR MENTAL PATIENT IS HERE!"

Sasuke glared at his back, "I resent that,"

Ino appeared around the corner, "Sasuke I told you I'm not you psychiatrist anymore, go to Ibiki-sensi! He can-"

"I'm not here for a head exam Ino!" the Chunin interrupted, "I'm leaving for a long time and I need someone to watch Neeko-chan for me. Thanks bye!" He dropped the knapsack and the cat in the same motion and shut the door so the feline couldn't follow him down the street.

"But Sasu--" the door slammed…. "I don't even like cats." Ino picked up the knapsack and looked at Neeko-chan. "Uh…Nice kitty?"

"HIISSSS!" the cat disappeared down the hall.

**East Konoha Kakashi's House…**

Inara set down the book she had been reading about wind Jutsu and sighed, placing her feet on the coffee table in front of her. Having returned to Konoha, Tsunade had placed her under Kakashi's care until the council meeting two days later. The Ayanami and her sensei had returned to her old address only to find that it had been foreclosed on and all her belongings had been distributed among her friends. Today Kakashi had set out to collect them.

Inara didn't care; it was mostly her trunk she wanted. It had belonged to her mother, and her grandmother, and great grandmother before her. The trinkets it contained were junk to the average person, but to her they were priceless reminders of her mother and home.

Kakashi stumbled through the door with an arm load of boxes, folders, bags containing Inara's personal life. The kunoichi jumped up and took the first few items off the top of the precariously stacked pile and set them on the coffee table, "There you are sensei, I was wondering why a pile of boxes was moving on its own," she giggled.

The Jonin rolled his visible eye, "Ha ha I forgot how to laugh. Do you know how long it took me to track down all of this stuff from just your descriptions and where you _thought_ you left your junk?"

Inara opened a small box and lifted out envelopes of pictures from her genin year, "its not junk sensei. It's who I am." Her fingers brushed over the old Squad seven photographs with a sigh, "When can I go see them?"

The Jonin went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water, "When the council deems you safe to be in public without supervision, you are a wanted criminal after all."

The white haired girl wrinkled her nose, "Yeah, yeah I know," and put her feet up on the table again. Kakashi walked by, knocking her feet down with his free hand, "Get your bathing stuff, we're going to the bath house."

Inara groaned, every time they went out, she had to disguise herself under a white cloak and cowl, all her weapons had to be left behind, and Kakashi had to watch her like a hawk. She hated the lack of freedom in her own hometown and contemplated going out on her own. She sighed, if she did that the ANBU Black Ops would be on her faster than vultures on a rotting carcass.

"And you can't use your own shower because?"

He tossed her a towel from the closet, "My shower isn't big enough for two and I don't feel like sharing."

The mental image sent of shiver of…revulsion down the teen's spine. Sure her sensei was physically fit but…she just didn't need to see that. With a heavy sigh she lifted herself from the couch and reached for her cloak. Kakashi stopped her, "That's not going to be enough this time. I suggest you use _that_ jutsu."

"Do I have to?"

Kakashi stared at her, "Yes, we're going to a BATH house. I think someone will notice a girl in the men's bath."

"hmm…can't we used the mixe-?"

"No."

"Bu-"

"No."

**Konoha Slums…** (AN: does Konoha even have slums? Oh well for the sake of this story it does.)

Naruto set the little girl on her feet in front of three boys ranging from ages 6 to 9. Negotiations for the girl's doll were failing…miserably. The Chunin looked at the sky and estimated the time to be around one in the afternoon. Urg, he didn't have time for this! He should be at the hot springs with Hinata by now! But no…he was too busy arguing with a bunch of pint sized twerps.

One boy kicked dirt at Naruto's feet, "Go away! We're not giving it back; we found it so it's ours now!"

The blonde glared, "What would three boys want with a doll anyway?!"

The middle of the three picked up a sharp rock, "It's our prisoner of war and we're gonna experiment on it!" he turned and raised the rock high in the air, making it cut the doll open and spill its contents onto the dirt.

"Nikii-chan!" the girl screeched.

Naruto caught the boy's arm and took the rock from his fist, "Look kid, I'm not asking you again, give the doll back to the girl."

The street urchin glared up at him unafraid, "Or what?"

Naruto growled, deepening his voice to sound like the Kyuubi's, it was a pitiful resemblance, but if it frightened the kids, he didn't care. His grip on the child's arm tightened, "_you don't want to know,_" his voice rumbled.

A sudden spark of something entered the boy's eyes, was it fear? Naruto wasn't sure but the smallest of the three picked up the doll and handed it back to the girl. The Chunin released his captive. No sooner had he done so, the little gang disappeared down the street yelling.

The little girl hugged her doll smiling, and looked up, "Thank you mister ninja!" she wrapped her arms around his legs then ran back towards town.

Naruto watched her go with a grin on his face…_a girl would be nice…someday._

It was only a quarter of an hour later when the blonde burst through the front gates to the Hyuuga compound at a dead run only to find himself tackled and pinned by the second branch guards.

He struggled against them, "Come on guys, let me go! It's me, Naruto dammit!" The guards didn't loosen their grip as they dragged Naruto to the closest wall and pressed him against it. The blonde sighed putting his hands on his head and placed his feet shoulder width apart.

Two sets of hands proceeded to pat him in places and remove his shuriken pouch, kunai holder and any other weapons in his possession when Hinata rounded the corner.

She paused in surprise to see the Uzumaki being treated like a criminal under arrest. Quickly ran to his side and politely asked the two guards to stop…they did, and handed Naruto back his things.

The blonde glared at them but didn't say a word, he know it was one of Hisashi's "conditions." Just to spite the guards, he wrapped an arm around Hinata's waist with a grin, "Didn't know I was back did ya?"

The Hyuuga blushed and shook her head, "I-I'm sorry you have to searched all the time,"

Naruto shrugged, "One gets used to it after awhile. Hey, call Neji; I'm taking you on a date. How do the hot springs sound?"

Inara stared at her reflection in the steaming waters of the hot spring…a young man looked back. Her long ebony hair had been reduced to short spikes the jutted out at odd angles and hung in her face. Her eyes were still the same color…a gentle sea green. She was reluctant to get in the water because of all the other men that it occupied.

Kakashi bathed just out of eye sight but was still within hearing distance in case she decided to ditch, he could stop her. With a grimace she stepped into the water with a shudder. She hadn't been allowed keep any of her belongings with her as soon as they had entered the bath, but she insisted on keeping her Akatsuki ring hung on a silver chain around her neck. Kakashi had agreed that it was too dangerous to be left behind, and as long as she didn't wear it on her finger, she could keep it on her person.

A crook in the spring, surrounded by rocks provided the perfect bathing spot for privacy. She had just started washing when she heard a familiar voice at the bath entrance. The Ayanami paused and ducked behind a boulder watching the door.

"Sorry the mixed bath is full," said a male voice, "I guess it kinda works out for the best though heh heh."

Another deep voiced answered the first, "You know I'd be following. The fact that you chose this place as your destination proves you're an idiot."

"Ah, Neji!" a female voice protested, "I thought it was a good idea."

A light switch clicked on in Inara's head…Neji…Hinata…NARUTO! She wanted to jump out of the hot water and hug her teammate until he had turned blue! Oh wait…Kakashi was watching….nuts.

"Be patient," the Jonin said, "Sounds like they're coming this way….and by the way, you're being ridiculous trying to hide yourself like that."

Inara glared into the steam and reluctantly slipped out of her hiding spot as Naruto and Neji entered the bathing area. Both were engaged in a conversation of some sort, and it didn't seem to be going in Naruto's favor. The blonde glared at the Hyuuga, Neji just grinned.

Naruto looked around wondering if any more of his friends had decided to go to the hot springs. He saw Kakashi and waved, he had been away on a mission when he had left for Sand country, and it was good to know that he former sensei had returned safely. Not far from him was someone he had never seen before…as least…he thought he hadn't.

The newcomer looked nervous, always checking behind his back and in the water around him as if he expected something to fly out and bite him. Naruto pointed this out to Neji, but the Hyuuga didn't seem to care, "Probably just a foreigner with some enemies."

The blonde wasn't convinced, "Hey," he called, "I haven't seen you here before."

Inara stopped, _uh oh…this can't be good_, "Um…I'm just passing through." She turned back to her washing, pretending to get a piece of dirt out from under her nail that wasn't there.

"Where're you headed? I just got back from Sand Country myself." Naruto folded his arms behind his head and waited.

_Dammit Naruto, go away already!_ "I can't say…classified information."

The Uzumaki narrowed his cerulean eyes… "Uh-huh," _I knew there was something fishy about this dude! _ "What's your name?" he moved around so Inara had to stare him directly in the eye.

"My name?"

"Yeah, _do_ you have one don't you?"

"Uh…Sosuke…Uchida Sosuke."

Naruto's eyes widened, "You're kidding me! My friend's name is similar to that!"

"You don't say..." Inara said, trying her hardest to sound uninterested.

The blonde looked his acquaintance over one last time. Long, spiky black hair swept behind his shoulders, his bangs were short and pointed back (except for one strand that hung down in the middle of his face) and he was sure he had seen those sea green eyes somewhere, "You're sure we've never met?"

Sosuke (Inara) grunted in reply.

Three eagle silhouettes hovered over the surface of the water, Naruto, Kakashi, Inara, and Neji all looked up as the predators dropped their scrolls to the recipient. Neji and Naruto opened theirs at the same time; Kakashi already had an inkling of what the message retained.

Neji glared at the scroll, Naruto couldn't believe what he was reading, "What do they mean Sasuke is gone?!"

Inara inhaled sharply, and snatched the parchment from Naruto's grasp.

"Hey just what the hell do you thing yo-"

"Naruto stop!" It was Kakashi, "We need to get to the Hokage's office…pronto." He pointed at Inara, "You, get your things, you're coming with us."

**Hokage's Office 15 minutes later…**

Ino, Sakura, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Hinata and Shino were already there, waiting impatiently. Naruto, Kakashi, Neji and Inara quietly joined their ranks (Inara was still disguised).

Her heart lifted to see all her old friends again but the matter of discussion quickly brought her back down to Earth.

"At 3:00 this afternoon Uchiha Sasuke was reported to be leaving his home and headed outside the village where our informant claims he met someone just outside city limits. Our researchers were able to match the description of the individual as Sakon from the group the Sound Four, run by Orochimaru. Your objective is to bring Sasuke back and take out the Sound Four. They can't be allowed to live, they know too much of our village and its secrets."

Ino raised her hand, "And if we can't convince him to come back?"

Shizune looked up, "Drag him back, and if you can't do that…" she paused, unable to continue.

Tsunade picked up where she left off, "Sasuke is a Konoha Shinobi, as you all know rouge Shinobi can't be permitted to live. Bring him back or he will die."

Naruto's fist shot into the air, "I understand why we were chosen but what the hell does _HE_," his finger stabbed Inara in the chest, "have to come with us? He doesn't even know who Sasuke is and who the hell is this "informant" anyway? Can he be trusted?"

An inkling of a smile twitched across Tsunade's face, "Why don't you ask him for yourself?" She pointed towards the door.

Sai stood leaning against the frame, "I'm gone for a few months and I'm already untrustworthy? Honestly Naruto I thought you were my friend."

The blonde jumped up and slapped his former teammate on the back, "Good to see ya buddy! How're things in Root?"

"You know I'm forbidden to speak of it Naruto but they are…going well in the least and I do believe someone has the answer to your other question."

Sosuke (Inara) stepped forward after being given an approving nod by Shizune and Tsunade…she still looked to Kakashi for and easy answer, the Jonin shook his head. She sighed and help up a simple hand sign, "All of you here know me…and many of you believed me to be dead. I'm sorry for not keeping contact but I lost my memories and forgot who I was until recently."

All her age mates stared at her as if she had a few screws loose in her skull, it couldn't be helped…she released her Jutsu.

Ino and Sakura nearly screamed and Hinata started crying; Naruto and the others gasped muttering things like "I don't believe it," or "She's gotta be a fake."

Inara waited for her friends to recover, Naruto was the first, "I-Inara? How are you alive?" he touched the hand she had held out to make sure she wasn't a ghost.

She smiled, "It's a long story that I will gladly share with you when our mission is over. Right now we have to get Sasuke back!"

**Outside Konoha City Limits…**

Sakon placed a small red pill in Sasuke's palm, the Uchiha stared at it, "This little pill is going to enhance the effects of the curse mark?"

Tayuya grinned, "Not exactly, the pill is just a…tool, to weaken your other Chakra's and let the curse mark take over completely. We could achieve the same affect by exhausting your Chakra in a long battle, but frankly we just don't have that kind of time."

Kidomaru nodded, "She's right, once your village realizes your gone they will send out search parties and there are only the four of us since you will be useless in combat until the pill's effects wear off."

A large man carrying what looked like a barrel dropped down from a tree, Sasuke snatched a kunai for defense, but Sakon shook his head.

"About time you got here fatty," Tayuya growled.

Jirobo glared at her, "You try carrying this thing up in the trees, it ain't easy."

"Both of you knock it off!" Sakon hissed, "We don't have time to argue. Sasuke, take the pill so we can get out of here. Jirobo will carry you in the barrel until the effects have worn off. It's specially sealed to help the process along."

The Chunin looked at the capsule in his hand…then back towards Konoha…he searched himself for anything that may stop him from making this decision and found nothing. There was nothing left for him back there. Placing the tablet on his tongue, he swallowed…and waited. Nothing.

He looked to Sakon, who only held up a hand…5…he felt fine…4…maybe the pill was expired or defective...3…no wait he did feel something…2…his stomach hurt, like someone was stabbing him with fire prods…1…his skin was burning, he couldn't get enough air…0…Sasuke hit his knees and was sick. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he clutched his gut. His whole body shook with violent spasms.

Sakon cursed, but he sounded far away. Everything was spinning.

The Sound Four watched as Sasuke crumpled over and lay still. "Kidomaru, Tayuya, get him in the barrel we've go to move…now! Jirobo you go as soon as the seals are secured. The three of us will be right behind you should the search parties catch up." Sakon smiled to himself, Lord Orochimaru would be pleased.

**Konoha City Limits…**

Shikamaru looked all his former classmates in the eye, "There are too many of us to go in one group, Naruto, Lee, and Neji come with me, we'll lead the search from the trees. Shino and Kiba, will the both of you be alright on your own? We need someone to follow them on the ground in the event that we lose them, can I count on you?"

Kiba punch the air, "You got it Shika! Shino, Akumaru and I got you backs!"

"Good, Ino, Hinata and Sakura voted to stay behind and help the medic squads. These are just petty criminals we're facing today; they're the real deal "S" ranked rouges and it's my job to make sure we all come back here alive with Sasuke in tow. If for any reason you think you won't be able to fulfill this mission don't be embarrassed to leave and help out else ware." The Jonin waited, no one backed down. A small grin spread across his face, "Okay then let's move--"

"_Shikamaru Nara you wait one damn minute!" _ Screeched a female voice.

Kiba looked behind him, "Who the hell was that? Shik, you did remember to tell your mom about this mission right?" he nudged Naruto in the ribs.

Inara skidded to a stop in the middle of the hunting party with Kakashi not far behind, "I'm going too!" she stated.

"Like hell you are missy!" said Kakashi grabbing her arm, "I'm under strict orders that you stay inside Fire country and I am _not_ about to get my ass chewed by Tsunade just because you went gallivanting off after your boyfriend!"

"Dammit Sensei I'm not a child anymore!" she yanked her arm free from his hold using a complex wrist release, "Besides there's no way I'm staying behind to help with the medic's when you and I both know I'd be more useful with the ground team in the search!"

"Useful," said Shino from behind he jacket, "How?"

Inara smirked, "Like this _Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" (Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu) The smoke cleared with the kunoichi astride a very large buckskin horse with unusual markings. Around them were three other mounts pawing, eager to run, "I can provide means of transportation that the Sound Four would never suspect."

Shikamaru crouched, put his hands together and closed his eyes. The group remained silent…watching. Five minutes passes and the young Jonin opened his eyes, "It would work best if she came along Kakashi."

Hatake glowered for a while, then said, "Alright, but if this mission leaves Fire country she comes back." Even he couldn't argue with Shikamaru's logic and planning. By now the targets had a very good head start and with Inara's summons, they would be able to make up for lost time.

Kiba curtly declined riding a horse claiming, "I'll never trust anything that thinks I'm gonna eat it." Instead he chose Akumaru, not a bad choice since the dog was nearly as tall as the equines and just as fast.

Group "A" (Naruto, Lee, Neji and Shikamaru) left in a hurry while ground support (Inara, Shino, Kakashi and Kiba) swept the ground for traps, there were none, at least not close to the village.

"Keep your eyes open," Inara said, "They could be anywhere and we can't afford a broken leg or worse." Usually summoning another mount would have been easy, but something in the kunoichi's insides was churning giving her a horrendous stomach ache. An explosion tore her attention away from herself and toward Kiba, "What did I just say dog boy?!"

"Sorry, you try spotting Nin-wire under foliage!"

"Just be thankful it wasn't attached to anything else too serious," said Kakashi riding past them. A hushed chinking noise made him look up, "On second thought _run for it!_"

The squad kicked their horse's sides spurring them to a dead gallop as kunai, shuriken and other sharp object bombarded the ground, some missing them by inches. Shino's mount took a shuriken to the flank, but the wound was shallow, Kiba managed a few scratches while Kakashi and Inara checked themselves over, nothing more than some torn cloth.

Meanwhile 'A' group was having their own problems; they had caught up with Kidomaru bringing up the rear and he wasn't about to let them pass without a fight.

Naruto clenched his fists; they were losing too much time!

"Shikamaru, Naruto, Lee, you guys go on ahead I'll take care of him," said Neji.

The blonde shook his head, "No way! We're not leaving you alone."

"Naruto listen to him!" Shikamaru growled, "I don't like splitting up but it's the only way to catch up with Sasuke!"

The Chunin was silent then placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder, "You better catch up, you hear me? No man will be left behind."

AN: Well obviously this wasn't done in time for Christmas…sorry. I never knew work would take up so much of my life (OK that's a lie I actually did). But anyway I'm so sick of winter! I love the snow but it's been too damn cold out lately! I mean double digits are fine but when you hit the negative double digit…that's just too much! My term ends this Friday and I'll have all new classes so I don't know if I'll have a computer class or not so updates will still be slower than molasses in January. Again I apologize for this but the plot is getting complicated and my muse is currently at Carthage College in Kenosha and I miss her very much *sniff sniff* My other muse Daii-chan has been trying her best to help me out but…my brain just says no. Anyway if you have any ideas for some fight scenes I could really used them because in the next chapter I hope to have at least six major battles and I can't use the same stuff over and over. PLEASE HELP MEE! Oh yes and reviews would be lovely.

Ja ne

Anbu-chan


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